High Court Dismisses Terrorism Charge Against Rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, the rapper known as Mo Chara and a member of the group Kneecap, will not face terrorism charges related to the alleged display of a Hezbollah flag during a performance. A decision from the High Court in London upheld a previous ruling that deemed the case unlawful.
Ó hAnnaidh, 28, faced legal action after the incident during a concert at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, in November 2024. Last September, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring dismissed the case due to an administrative error concerning the filing of charges.
Goldspring clarified that prosecutors were required to obtain permission from the Attorney General before charging Ó hAnnaidh. Although such permission was granted shortly after the initial charge was filed, Ó hAnnaidh’s legal team argued that this approval came after the six-month period within which charges must be submitted.
On Wednesday, High Court judges Lord Justice Edis and Justice Linden rejected an appeal from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), upholding Goldspring’s decision. Their ruling stated, “The judge was correct to conclude that he lacked jurisdiction to address any summary-only offence alleged to have been committed on that date.”
The 13-page ruling emphasized that the matter was fundamentally a technical legal issue, independent of the merits of the charge itself. It acknowledged that while both the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Attorney General believed the charge met required legal standards, it will no longer be adjudicated.
In a press statement, Ó hAnnaidh indicated that the implications of the case extend beyond his personal situation, emphasizing the far graver issues faced by families in Gaza. “We’ll continue to utilize our platform to highlight this crisis,” he asserted. Despite some cancelled performances due to ongoing legal proceedings, he vowed to remain outspoken, stating, “We don’t care about the repercussions any more.”
Supporters gathered at a press conference in Belfast, waving Irish and Palestinian flags, and chanting slogans that included “saoirse don Phalaistin,” meaning “freedom for Palestine.”
Paul Maskey, Sinn Féin MP for West Belfast, criticized the CPS for pursuing the appeal, suggesting it was an effort to silence an artist committed to raising awareness about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “This issue was never about public safety or the proper administration of justice,” he remarked.
Darragh Mackin, Ó hAnnaidh’s solicitor, characterized the prosecution as baseless and politically motivated, describing it as a “witch-hunt” that originated at Coachella and culminated in Belfast. “This prosecution was legally unsound from the start,” Mackin stated. “Today’s ruling concludes what has been a costly and unnecessary legal endeavor.”
In response to the High Court’s decision, a CPS spokesperson acknowledged the ruling would inform future practices regarding the charging of summary offences requiring Attorney General consent. “We accept the judgment and will revise our processes accordingly,” they affirmed.
Source: Original Source
