The terrorism case against Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has been thrown out following a technical error in the way the charge against him was brought.
The 27-year-old Belfast musician, who performs as Mo Chara, was charged in May under the name Liam O’Hanna for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation, at a gig in London’s Kentish Town in November 2024.
He denied the offence, labelling it “political policing” and a “carnival of distraction” from the war in Gaza, which Kneecap has been vocal about opposing.
“We are not the story, genocide is,” a statement posted by the group on social media said.
In August, Ó hAnnaidh’s lawyer Brenda Campbell KC told a court that the Attorney General had not given permission for the case to be brought against the defendant when police informed him he was to face a terror charge on 21 May.
She said consent was given the following day, which meant the charge fell outside the six-month timeframe in which criminal charges against a defendant can be brought.
At Woolwich Crown Court on Friday, chief magistrate Paul Goldspring agreed with Ms Campbell.
In his judgment, Mr Goldspring said: “These proceedings were instituted unlawfully and are null.”
Concluding the reasons for his decision, he said: “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.
“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.”
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill welcomed the development.
“All charges have been dropped against Kneecap’s Mo Chara. I strongly welcome this decision,” she posted on the social media network X.
“These charges were part of a calculated attempt to silence those who stand up and speak out against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
“Kneecap have used their platform on stages across the world to expose this genocide, and it is the responsibility of all of us to continue speaking out and standing against injustice in Palestine.”
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