Kneecap rapper Mo Chara has welcomed a court’s decision to throw out terror charges laid against him.
He was charged in May after allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation, at a gig at the O2 Forum in London’s Kentish Town in November 2024.
The member of the Irish rap group (real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) had denied the charge and called it a political act.
The legal process has forced Kneecap, who are signed to Heavenly/PIAS, to cancel scheduled dates in North America.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring today told Woolwich Crown Court that the charge was "unlawful" because of a technical error in the way it was brought. This related to the necessary consent to the charge from the Director of Public Prosecutions and Attorney General within the six-month statutory time limit.
The police had not asked the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to charge him within the required time limit.
Jude Bunting KC told the court: "This case was every bit unjustified as it was flawed".
In a post on social media, Liam Óg thanked his legal team and interpreter.
“This entire process was never about me, never about any threat to the public and never about ‘terrorism’, a word used by your government to discredit people you oppress,” he said in the statement. “It was always about Gaza. About what happens if you dare to speak up. As people from Ireland we know oppression, colonialism, famine and genocide.”
Kneecap won a legal case last year over an “unlawful” ban from the Music Export Growth Scheme.
PHOTO: Joshua Mulholland
