A UK court has dismissed the terrorism case against Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, popularly known as Mo Chara of the Irish rap group Kneecap, citing a procedural error.
Ó hAnnaidh was charged in May with allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London performance in November 2024. The 27-year-old rapper denied the allegations, insisting the case was politically motivated.
During Friday’s proceedings at Woolwich Crown Court, Judge Paul Goldspring ruled that the charge was “unlawful” and “null” because it was not filed within the six-month statutory time frame required by law.
According to the judge, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) only gave consent for the case on May 22, a day after the charge was filed. That date fell six months and one day after the alleged offence, rendering the prosecution invalid.
“The proceedings were not instituted in the correct form, lacking the necessary DPP and Attorney General’s consent within the statutory time limit,” Judge Goldspring said, adding that the court had “no jurisdiction to try the charge.”
The ruling was met with cheers from Ó hAnnaidh’s supporters inside the courtroom.
Reacting in a message shared via Kneecap, the rapper maintained that the case was never about terrorism.
“This entire process was never about me, never about any threat to the public, and never about ‘terrorism.’ It was always about Gaza, about what happens if you dare to speak up,” he said.
He further accused the British government of using terrorism charges to suppress dissent, adding: “If anyone on this planet is guilty of terrorism, it is the British state. Free Palestine!”
