Member of Irish rap band Kneecap appears at UK court on ‘terrorism’ charge

A member of the Irish rap group Kneecap has arrived in court in London, charged with a “terror” offence for allegedly supporting the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who was initially charged under the Anglicised name Liam O’Hanna, and who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, appeared at the Westminster Magistrates ‘ Court on Wednesday after he was charged in May for displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London concert in November.

O hAnnaidh, 27, was greeted by crowds chanting “Free Mo Chara” and waving Irish and Palestinian flags, footage showed. His fellow bandmembers Naoise O Caireallain and J J O Dochartaigh also arrived at the court, local media reported.

O hAnnaidh was swamped by photographers as he arrived, with security officers taking more than a minute to usher him into the court building.

Police imposed conditions limiting where demonstrations in support of O hAnnaidh can take place, saying they were needed to “prevent serious disruption”.

In response, the rap group described this move as a “calculated political decision” which is a “distraction from war crimes that the British state supports”. Still, they asked supporters to go out of their way to be compliant with the rules, “irrespective of how pitiful”.

Kneecap has taken a stance against Israel’s assault on Gaza, which has killed more than 60, 000 people and reduced much of the enclave to rubble since it began in October 2023. Hezbollah began cross-border attacks into Israel shortly after Israel launched the assault, saying at the time that it was acting in support of Palestinians in Gaza.

Since Hezbollah was banned in the United Kingdom in 2019, it has been an offence to show support for the Iran-aligned group.

The hearing in central London is expected to hear legal arguments on whether the charge falls outside a six-month time limit, a court official told the AFP news agency.

Hundreds of fans had cheered outside the central London court in June when O hAnnaidh made his first appearance, with dozens waving flags and playing drums.

Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told the previous hearing the case was “not about O hAnnaidh’s support for the people of Palestine or his criticism of Israel”.

“He is well within his rights to voice his opinions and his solidarity”, Bisgrove said.

Instead, the prosecutor said, the case was about O hAnnaidh displaying “the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation, while allegedly saying ‘ Up Hamas, up Hezbollah'”.

The punk-rap group has said the video that led to the charge was taken out of context.

Formed in 2017, the group is no stranger to controversy, clashing with the UK’s previous Conservative government and voicing opposition to British rule in Northern Ireland.

prohibited organizations

The hearing comes as a result of growing controversy over UK support for banned organizations.

Since the Palestine Action group’s outlawing in early July, more than 700 people have been detained, primarily at demonstrations.

Following Palestine Action’s investigation into a break-in at an air force base in southern England that reportedly cost 7 million pounds ($9.5 million) in damage to two aircraft, the ban became effective immediately.