British prosecutors challenge a court’s decision to dismiss a terrorism charge against Kneecap’s Liam O’Hanna over a Hezbollah flag display.
LONDON: British prosecutors are challenging a court’s decision to drop a terrorism charge against Liam O’Hanna, a member of the Irish-language punk-rap group Kneecap.
The Crown Prosecution Service is appealing a ruling that threw out a charge of supporting terrorism against O’Hanna, who performs as Mo Chara.
He was accused of displaying a flag of the proscribed Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at a London concert in November 2024.
In September, Woolwich Crown Court dismissed the charge due to a technical error in how it was brought under the 2000 Terrorism Act.
Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring ruled the proceedings “were not instituted in the correct form” and declared the charge unlawful and null.
The CPS said it is appealing “as we believe there is an important point of law which needs to be clarified”.
Kneecap called the appeal “unsurprising” and a “waste of taxpayers money” in a social media statement last October.
“We will fight you in your court again. We will win again,” the Belfast-based group added.
O’Hanna, 28, was charged in May after a video from the concert allegedly showed him with the Hezbollah flag, an offence he denies.
The band, known for its pro-Palestinian stance, has urged fans to support O’Hanna outside the Royal Courts of Justice.
“It is the view of our legal team that there is not an iota of logic for this,” Kneecap posted about the appeal.
O’Hanna has stated the band’s stand “was always about Gaza, about what happens if you dare to speak up”.
The group has faced multiple international concert cancellations over its political views.
Canada barred Kneecap from entering the country in September, citing alleged support for Hezbollah and Hamas.
Despite controversies, the band performed at Glastonbury Festival in June and played to packed audiences in Tokyo last week.
