LONDON: A UK court dismissed a terrorism support charge against Liam O’Hanna, a member of the Northern Irish punk rap group Kneecap, on Friday due to a procedural error.
Cheers erupted inside and outside Woolwich Crown Court as the judge declared the charge unlawful and O’Hanna free to go.
O’Hanna stated outside the court that the case was an attempt to silence the band’s vocal support for Palestinians.
“It was always about Gaza, about what happens if you dare to speak up,” he told a crowd of jubilant supporters.
He added that the authorities’ attempts to muzzle them had failed because “we’re right and you’re wrong.”
The 27-year-old was charged in May after a video from a November London concert allegedly showed him displaying a Hezbollah flag.
O’Hanna had denied the charge under UK anti-terror laws, with his lawyers challenging whether it was filed within legal time limits.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring ruled in a 13-page decision that the proceedings were not instituted in the correct form.
“Consequently, the charge is unlawful and null. This court has no jurisdiction to try the charge,” Goldspring stated.
O’Hanna’s lawyer, Darragh Mackin, called the case “a political persecution masquerading as a prosecution.”
“This is not just a victory for Kneecap, it’s a victory for the freedom of expression,” Mackin told supporters.
O’Hanna and his bandmates arrived at court wearing Irish flag-coloured balaclavas, with O’Hanna opting to have proceedings translated into Irish.
The single charge alleged he displayed a flag to arouse suspicion he supported a proscribed organisation.
Supporting Hezbollah has been an offence punishable by up to 14 years in jail since the UK banned the group in 2019.
O’Hanna has previously stated he did not recognise the Hezbollah flag and that Kneecap’s act is often satirical.
The band insists the video was taken out of context and that they “do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah.”
Kneecap’s notoriety has grown since the charges, despite concert cancellations in Canada, Hungary, Germany, and Austria.
The group cancelled a 15-date US tour scheduled for next month due to its proximity to the court case.
O’Hanna noted that the media attention and cancellations have paradoxically increased their profile and concert attendance.
“There’s no doubt there’s more people coming to the gigs, which leads to obviously more profit,” he said earlier this month.
The case occurs amid wider controversy over UK arrests for supporting banned groups, particularly related to the Gaza war.
Hundreds have been arrested, mostly at protests, since the Palestine Action group was outlawed in July.
Palestine Action was banned after claiming responsibility for a break-in at an air force base causing an estimated £7 million in damage.
The group said the action protested Britain’s military support for Israel.
Formed in 2017, Kneecap is known for provocative lyrics about drugs, clashes with the UK government, and opposition to British rule in Northern Ireland.
The band gained international fame last year from a semi-fictional award-winning film based on their story. – AFP
