Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, better known by his stage name Mo Chara, walked out of court today, clad in Keffiyeh, after appearing on a terrorism charge in Central London, to the rapturous cheers of over a thousand fans and pro-Palestinian supporters.
(Louder Than Wars on-the-spot reporter Phil Ross was in court this morning…)
Ó hAnnaidh who sat alone behind a glass screen in the dock, while his bandmates Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí along with management team sat in the public gallery surrounded by family, friends and supporters, many of whom had travelled from Belfast.
The prosecution were at pains to say that the case today was not about Ó hAnnaidh’s opinions or his right to express those opinions, but “about a wholly different thing, his apparent support of a proscribed organisation”. Ó hAnnaidh who denies supporting any proscribed organisation, asserts that the charges are an attempt to silence the band’s criticism of Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
This morning in court, his defence sought to have the case dismissed outright, on the basis that the charges were brought outside the 6 month time limit. The alleged offence occurred on the 21st November 2024 at the band’s Forum show in Kentish Town, where he allegedly waved a flag in support of Hezbollah.
Metropolitan Police were made aware of the alleged incident following a media backlash against the band’s pro-Palestinian stance at Coachella Festival in California on 22nd April. US legislation has made support for Palestine increasingly difficult over recent years, and likely to lead to fines, imprisonment or deportation.
Kneecap parted company with Independent Artist Group (IAG) who sponsored their work visas. TV personality Sharon Osbourne was particularly vocal in demanding the band’s US visas were revoked. The backlash against them was spearheaded by Zionist organisation Creative Community for Peace (CCFP), a body with deep ties in the entertainment industry and Founded by David Renzer, former head of Universal Music Publishing and husband of Esther Renzer, co-founder of the pro-Israel lobby group StandWithUs.
Today’s court appearance under charges brought by the Met Police Counter Terrorist Unit on 22nd May is the culmination of the backlash to date. Ó hAnnaidh was bailed unconditionally until 20th August by chief magistrate Paul Goldspring who asked if an Irish interpreter would be necessary. His defence barrister replied that she thought “he will manage in English”. The magistrate went on to set aside a two hour session to ascertain the time-line of ‘alleged offence to charges being brought’, to listen to skeleton arguments, and told Ó hAnnaidh that he must attend court in person on that day.
On leaving court, Kneecap were ushered by stewards from Stop the War through a heaving crowd that blocked the entrance. They took to a makeshift stage adjacent the court, where Irish musicians had played throughout the morning. To huge cheers, and calls of ‘Free Free Palestine’, a member of the band’s legal team told media and supporters that fifty one people had been shot waiting for food this morning in Gaza and that “Oppression fears freedom of expression. Kneecap will stand up for the freedom of expression for artists and people around the world”.
Amidst scenes of chaos, euphoria, and honking traffic, the Irish trio were escorted to vehicles and driven away, leaving a pavement carnival behind them.
Words by Phil Ross. More writing by Phil can be found at his Louder Than War author’s archive.
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