Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, the Kneecap rapper known as Mo Chara, will not face a terrorism charge after the High Court in London rejected an appeal by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). The case related to an alleged display of a Hezbollah flag during a performance at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November 2024.
Last September, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring dismissed the case on the grounds that prosecutors had failed to secure the attorney general's permission within the required six-month timeframe. The CPS had obtained the permission the day after the charge was filed, but lawyers for Ó hAnnaidh argued this rendered the charge unlawful. On Wednesday, two High Court judges, Lord Justice Edis and Justice Linden, upheld that decision.
The ruling stated that the case turned on a narrow and technical legal issue and had nothing to do with whether the rapper committed the offence. It noted that a charge deemed appropriate by both the Director of Public Prosecutions and the attorney general will now never be determined, meaning Ó hAnnaidh has not been tried, convicted, or acquitted.
Following the decision, Ó hAnnaidh said the case should not distract from Palestinian suffering, adding that Kneecap would continue to speak out about Gaza. The group's Instagram posted: 'Kneecap: 3 Brit Govt: 0. The worlds biggest terrorists are the leaders of the British state. Free Palestine. Free the six counties.'
Sinn Féin MP Paul Maskey criticised the prosecution as an attempt to silence an artist highlighting what he called a genocidal Israel aided by the UK government. The rapper's solicitor, Darragh Mackin, described the case as a 'legally laughable witch-hunt' and an expensive circus. A CPS spokesperson said they accepted the judgment and would update their processes accordingly.
