Kneecap have said the UK government intends to appeal the ruling that led to Mo Chara’s terror charge being thrown out last year.
In September, the case against the Belfast rapper – real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – was dropped due to a technicality relating to the way in which it was brought about, with the Chief Magistrate telling the court that the charge against him was “unlawful” and “null”.
Ó hAnnaidh had been charged over an alleged incident where he reportedly displayed a Hezbollah flag during a show in London in November 2024 and shouted “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”. Both are listed as proscribed terrorist organisations by the UK government.
Kneecap have consistently denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah, and said that they do not incite or condone violence. They have also argued that the footage at the UK shows had been taken out of context, and described the legal action as a “carnival of distraction”.
Now, the group have revealed that the government now plans to appeal against the decision to drop the case, writing on social media this morning (January 1): “The Brits are at it again…”
“The British government has issued us notice that they will appeal the decision of their own magistrates court to throw out the case against Mo Chara,” they continued. “It is the view of our legal team that there is not an iota of logic for this, it is without any sound legal basis.”
They went on to say that they believe the ploy is a tactic to “distract from, and to try and silence those who stand on the right side of history”.
“As Israel today moves to ban charitable organisations providing lifesaving aid and primitive shelter to millions, the British state once again turns to vilify those who oppose genocide.”
They said the appeal will be heard on January 14 at the High Court at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. “We will not be silent. FREE PALESTINE,” Kneecap concluded.
In October, a spokesperson for the Crown Prosecution Service suggested they were planning on appealing the decision, saying they “believe there is an important point of law which needs to be clarified”.
Speaking outside the court following the ruling in September, Mo Chara told press and supporters: “This process was never about me. It was never about threats to [the] public. It was never about terrorism.
“It was always about Gaza, about what happens when you dare to speak up. Your attempts to silence us have failed because we’re right and you’re wrong.”
Mo Chara’s appearances in court last year drew huge crowds, including support from Paul Weller, with people gathering outside Woolwich Crown Court.
Once the decision to throw out the case had been made, Mo Chara said that he was “absolutely” considering taking legal action against the British state, and told Prime Minister Keir Starmer: “Better luck next time”.
“Even if it had’ve went to court, we would’ve won anyway,” he added. “It was a complete circus, it was a carnival, a distraction from what’s actually going on. And the more that they dragged this out, the longer they could keep this in the news, rather than talk about the actual issues.”
Kneecap have defended their “satirical” live sets, arguing: “It’s not our job to tell people what’s a joke and what’s not.” They subsequently claimed that the government and their critics “want to make us seem small”. They’ve also denied accusations of anti-Semitism and inciting violence, claiming that “those attacking us want to silence criticism of a mass slaughter”.
