The case against Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who is accused of a terrorism offence, has been adjourned by a court in London and he has been freed on bail until August.
Ó hAnnaidh, who performs with the Belfast rap trio under the stage name Mo Chara, is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hizbullah at a gig last November.
The 27-year-old appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday following the alleged incident during a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London.
Ó hAnnaidh and his bandmates – Naoise Ó Cairealláin, and JJ Ó Dochartaigh - arrived to a scrum of hundreds of supporters who cheered as their vehicle pulled up outside the central London court. The band were wearing “Free Mo Chara” T-shirts as they arrived.
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It is alleged Ó hAnnaidh displayed a flag in a public place, “in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation” – namely Hizbullah.
Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard the rapper is “well within his rights” to voice his opinions on Israel and Palestine, but the alleged incident at the O2 Forum is a “wholly different thing”.
Summarising the allegations against Ó hAnnaidh, prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told the court: “It’s not about Mr Ó hAnnaidh’s support for the people of Palestine or his criticism of Israel.
“He’s well within his rights to voice his opinions and solidarity, as is anybody else.
“The allegation in this case is a wholly different thing and deals with a video recording showing that, in November of last year, Mr Ó hAnnaidh wore and displayed the flag of Hizbullah, a proscribed terrorist organisation, while saying ‘up Hamas, up Hizbullah’.
“Of course, support for the one is not the same as support for the other.
“So the issue in this case, and the reason it has come to court, it centres on the apparent support by Mr Ó hAnnaidh of a proscribed terrorist organisation.”
Ó hAnnaidh’s lawyer, Brenda Campbell, said the defence would argue the charge was brought after the six-month limit to bring such a charge. “If we are right in relation to that, then this court has no jurisdiction and there ends the case,” she added.
A further hearing will be held on August 20th to determine whether the charge was brought too late, Judge Paul Goldspring said.
Wearing a dark zip-up jacket and trousers, Ó hAnnaidh spoke briefly to confirm his identity at the beginning of the hearing.
He was released on unconditional bail until the next hearing.
The magistrate told him he must attend court on that day.
Ó hAnnaidh received a round of applause outside the courtroom after the short hearing.
A large number of fans had gathered outside the court on Wednesday morning with a mixture of Palestinian and Kneecap flags. A large green flag saying Free Speech, Free Palestine was also on display.
The small crowd cheered as a van emblazoned with the support slogan used for Mo Chara – More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara – drove past the court.
Kneecap had described the prosecution as a “witch hunt” in a post on X on Tuesday evening.
The Metropolitan Police said the force had charged Ó hAnnaidh, who appears on the court list as Liam O’Hanna, after initially being made aware of a video from the gig at the O2 Forum that had been posted online.
In a separate event shortly after being charged with the terrorism offence, Ó hAnnaidh could be seen in social media videos entering the stage with tape covering his mouth.
Kneecap said they have “never supported” Hamas or Hizbullah, both of which are banned in the UK.
The band are from west Belfast and perform mostly in Irish, under the stage names Mo Chara, DJ Próvaí and Móglaí Bap – real names Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, JJ Ó Dochartaigh and Naoise Ó Cairealláin respectively.
They have been outspoken in support for Palestine and in their criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Following their Coachella performance in April, Kneecap faced a backlash over their comments about Gaza during the gig.
A number of Kneecap’s gigs this year were also cancelled, and UK ministers have sought to put pressure on Glastonbury’s organisers to halt the group’s performance at the festival in June.
The group insist the controversy has been manufactured in retaliation for their pro-Palestine stance and to distract from what is happening in Gaza. – PA
