UK court throws out Kneecap terror charge quoting technicality

A member of the Irish rap group Kneecap has been cleared of a terror-related charge by a court in London.

Due to a technical error in the way the charge against the Belfast-based rapper was brought, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring said on Friday that the case against Liam Og O hAnnaidh should be dropped. Critics have cited the case as an example of a clampdown on free speech, which has since become extremely heated.

O hAnnaidh, 27, who was initially accused under the Anglicized name Liam O’Hanna and who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged after the six-month suspension for the charge, which the magistrates’ court can only handle.

The judge remarked, “The charge is unlawful and null, and this court has no authority to hear it.”

O hAnnaidh was detained in May for holding a Hezbollah flag at a concert in London in November 2024.

It has been illegal to support the group since the United Kingdom declared Hezbollah a “terrorist” in 2019 in the United Kingdom.

O hAnnaidh claimed that the group’s performance was a result of the fact that the flag was thrown on the stage. The band has referred to the legal process as “witchhunt.”

O hAnnaidh applauded the court’s decision following the ruling. He claimed that it demonstrated the band’s failure to tarnish Palestinian support.

In front of a crowd of supporters gathering outside the court, he said, “We’re right and you’re wrong, so it was always about Gaza, about what happens if you dare to speak up.”

We will work with the Crown Prosecution Service to understand the potential effects of this ruling on us and how that might affect the way these cases are handled in the future, according to a Metropolitan Police spokesperson.

Michelle O’Neill, the first minister of Northern Ireland, welcomed the decision. She wrote on social media that “these accusations were part of a deliberate attempt to silence those who speak out against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.”

In response to statements made in support of Palestinians during Israel’s conflict in Gaza, Kneecap has been accused of glorifying terrorism by various nations.

The group has been barred from entering by Hungary and Canada, and some of their concerts have been canceled by Germany and Austria.

Kneecap has accused critics of trying to silence the band because of its support for the Palestinian cause throughout Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 65 000 people and destroyed much of the area since it started in October 2023.