LONDON, Jan 14 (Reuters) – British prosecutors on Wednesday sought to reinstate terrorism charges against a member of Irish rap group Kneecap for displaying a flag of the Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah at a London show, after a court dismissed the case last year.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who goes by the stage name Mo Chara, was accused of waving the flag of banned militant group Hezbollah at a performance in November 2024.
The charge was dismissed in September after the tribunal ruled that the charge was initially brought without the permission of the Director of Public Prosecutions and Attorney-General and outside the six-month statutory time limit.
But the Crown Prosecution Service said it would challenge the ruling, with its lawyer Paul Jarvis telling London’s High Court on Wednesday that leave would only be required when Ó hAnnaidh appears in court for the first time, meaning the case could proceed.
Kneecap, known for his politically charged lyrics and support for the Palestinian cause, said the case was an attempt to divert attention from Britain’s complicity in Israel’s Gaza genocide. Israel strongly denies committing genocide in the tiny coastal territory.
JJ Ó Dochartaigh (aka DJ Próvaí) appeared in court but Ó hAnnaidh was not asked to attend and did not attend.
Knee calls lawsuit a distraction
Ó hAnnaidh was accused in May of this year of displaying the Hezbollah flag in a manner that raised reasonable suspicion that he supported the banned group, as footage showed him holding a Hezbollah flag on stage while shouting “Hamas, Hezbollah rise”.
Kneecap have previously said the flag was thrown on stage during their performance and that they “do not and have never supported Hamas or Hezbollah”.
The band, which promotes Irish identity and supports the republican cause of unifying Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland, has become increasingly vocal about the war in Gaza, especially after Ó hAnnaidh was charged in May.
Ó hAnnaidh accused Israel of committing war crimes when Kneecap performed at England’s Glastonbury Festival in June, after Kneecap displayed a pro-Palestinian message at California’s Coachella Festival in April.
Kneecap has since been banned from entering Hungary and Canada, and had a US tour canceled due to a conflict with Ó hAnnaidh’s appearance in court.
(Reporting by Sam Tobin; Editing by Gareth Jones)
