Terror charges against Kneecap rapper 'Mo Chara' dismissed

In May this year, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, more commonly known as Mo Chara from West-Belfast rap trio Kneecap, faced a terror-related charge. The charge came after the rapper was accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag whilst chanting, "up Hamas, up Hezbollah’ during a performance at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, in November of 2024.

In the UK, both Hamas and Hezbollah are defined as proscribed organisations. A proscribed organisation can be defined as a group that is concerned in terrorism in some way and to ‘invite support for a proscribed organisation’ is an offence under the Terror Act 2000. Other groups that appear on the Home Office’s list of proscribed organisations include Al-Qaeda and the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

However, Mo Chara’s defence had claimed that the rapper had not been charged within the statutory time limit. The rapper was initially charged on the 21^st of May, but without the permission of the Attorney General nor the Director of Public Prosecutions. The Metropolitan police then re-sent the charge to Mo Chara the next day – falling just one day outside of the six-month period in which defendants can be charged. Because of this error, the case was described in court as ‘unlawful’ and ‘null’ and was subsequently thrown out.

Band member Móglaí Bap has said the group are "feeling great" following the result, and Mo Chara has said he is considering taking legal action against the British state. The crown prosecution service have appealed the decision.