Fans of Northern Irish rap group Kneecap are bracing for another courtroom showdown as the UK High Court prepares to hear an appeal in a controversial terrorism case involving rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known on stage as Mo Chara.
The appeal comes after a lower court dismissed the original charges last year on procedural grounds.
Background of the Controversy
The case stems from a 2024 gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, where prosecutors claimed Ó hAnnaidh displayed a Hezbollah flag while performing.
Video footage allegedly showed him saying, “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” while wearing the flag.
The performance sparked widespread attention and became the center of legal scrutiny.
In September 2025, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring threw out the case, ruling the proceedings had been “instituted unlawfully” because proper legal consent had not been obtained within the statutory timeframe.
CPS Moves to Appeal
Despite the dismissal, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced in October that it would appeal, arguing that the case raised “an important point of law which needs to be clarified.”
The appeal hearing is now scheduled for Wednesday at the Royal Courts of Justice, with Lord Justice Edis and Mr Justice Linden presiding.
Legal Arguments at the Heart of the Case
Ó hAnnaidh’s legal team, led by Brenda Campbell KC, has maintained that the charge was invalid because the Attorney General did not authorize it when police initially informed him of the impending terror charge.
Consent was only given a day later, which exceeded the six-month statutory limit for bringing criminal charges.
Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove countered that formal consent from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Attorney General was not required until the defendant’s first court appearance.
He argued that permission was not necessary to formally bring a criminal charge.
However, Chief Magistrate Goldspring disagreed, citing section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000, which states that any offence “wholly or partly connected with the affairs” of another country cannot be prosecuted without DPP consent.
He concluded the charge was therefore “unlawful and null,” leaving the lower court without jurisdiction to hear the case.
Support from Fans and Public Reaction
Throughout the previous hearings, dozens of supporters have attended to back Ó hAnnaidh.
Kneecap also took to social media following the CPS appeal, criticizing the ongoing legal process as a “massive waste of taxpayers’ money, of police time, of court time.”
The group insisted: “We will fight you in your court again. We will win again.”
What to Expect Next
The High Court appeal will now determine whether the original dismissal will stand or if the CPS will succeed in challenging Goldspring’s ruling.
Legal observers will be watching closely, as the case touches on complex issues around terrorism law, international connections, and procedural compliance.
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