Kneecap Rapper Mo Chara Terror Charge Dismissed

A terrorism charge against Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (stage name Mo Chara) was dismissed at Woolwich Crown Court after Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring ruled the proceedings unlawful and "null." Goldspring found the requisition fell outside the six‑month statutory time limit because the Attorney General’s formal consent was given a day after police notified him of the intended charge. Ó hAnnaidh had been accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag at an O2 Forum gig in Kentish Town in November 2024, conduct that can amount to supporting a proscribed organisation. His lawyers, led by Brenda Campbell KC, and the band criticised the Metropolitan Police for using a Section 14 order to keep supporters away from court, and hundreds of fans had attended earlier appearances. The ruling comes amid wider scrutiny of Kneecap after videos of inflammatory chants and a separate Glastonbury inquiry that resulted in no further action; the band says it does not support Hamas or Hezbollah.