Terrorism Charge Against Kneecap's Mo Chara Dismissed In London Court
The Chief Magistrate ruled that the charge against the Kneecap rapper was “unlawful” and “null.”
Kneecap (Credit: Peadar Ó Goill)
A London court has dismissed a terrorism charge against Kneecap rapper Mo Chara due to a technical error.
Chara—real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who was charged under the anglicised name Liam O’Hanna—received the terror charge against him back in May.
The charge related to a Kneecap concert from London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town in November 2024, where the Irish rapper allegedly brandished the Hezbollah flag and reportedly shouted, “Up Hamas! Up Hezbollah!”
Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group, and Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite Muslim militant group, are both designated terrorist organisations in the United Kingdom.
Footage of the incident was widely shared online following Kneecap’s performances at Coachella in April, where the group shared pro-Palestine messages and criticised the US government for its alleged involvement in Israel’s ongoing violence against Palestinians in Gaza on the screens behind them. At the time, Kneecap claimed that they’d been victims of a “coordinated smear campaign.”
On Friday (26 September), the Chief Magistrate at the Woolwich Crown Court, Paul Goldspring, agreed with Ó hAnnaidh’s defence team, who argued that the prosecution had presented a legal mistake in their case against him, resulting in the terrorism charge being dropped, The Guardian reports.
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Brenda Campbell KC, who led Ó hAnnaidh’s defence team, argued that the Attorney General, Richard Hermer, didn’t give permission for the case to be brought against the rapper when he was informed that he’d face a terrorism charge in May.
The Chief Magistrate then ruled that the charge against Chara was “unlawful” and “null.” He continued, “I find that these proceedings were not instituted in the correct form, lacking the necessary DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions] and AG [Attorney General] consent within the six-month statutory time limit set by section 127.
“The time limit requires consent to have been granted at the time or before the issue of the requisition. Consequently, the charge is unlawful and null, and this court has no jurisdiction to try the charge.”
After the court proceedings took place, Ó hAnnaidh addressed his supporters outside the court, where he stated that “this entire process was never about me,” and was “always about Gaza, about what happens if you dare to speak up.”
“This entire process was never about me. It was never about any threat to the public; it was never about terrorism – a word used by your government to discredit people you oppress,” Ó hAnnaidh said.
He added, “It was always about Gaza, about what happens if you dare to speak up.
“Your attempts to silence us have failed because we’re right and you’re wrong. We will not be silent. We said we would fight you in your court and we would win. Today, we have. If anyone on this planet is guilty of terrorism, it’s the British state. Free Palestine.”
When he was asked if he had a message for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Ó hAnnaidh responded: “Better luck next time.”
Kneecap hail from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They released their debut album, 3CAG, in 2018, followed by Fine Art in 2024. Their second album coincided with the release of the semi-biographical film about the group, Kneecap, which further boosted their popularity.
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