Crown Prosecution Service’s bid to appeal dismissal of Kneecap terrorism charge rejected
A judge has ruled that Kneecap‘s Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh will not face a new trial after rejecting an appeal from the Crown Prosecution Service in regards to the dismissal of his terrorism case.
Last September, a magistrates’ judge dismissed the terrorism charge against Óg Ó hAnnaidh. The musician, who goes by the stage name Mo Chara, was accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town in London in November 2024.
The case was initially thrown out after Kneecap’s legal team argued that Attorney General Richard Hermer hadn’t given his permission for the charge to be brought against Óg Ó hAnnaidh within the six-month time frame of the alleged offence occurring.
Then, in October, the Crown Prosecution Service announced its intention to appeal the decision, stating they “believe there is an important point of law which needs to be clarified.”
A hearing was then carried out on January 14th at the High Court, Royal Courts of Justice, The Strand in London, before the final decision was made today (March 11th), which confirmed the appeal had been rejected.
Prior to the ruling being made, Kneecap confirmed they would be holding a press conference in Belfast at The Mill following the decision, and will undoubtedly be in a celebratory mood.
At the time of the announcement, before the decision on the appeal was confirmed, they explained to fans, “We would love to also see supporters outside the Mill. We are forever grateful for the immense support we have received throughout the world during this entire witch-hunt, especially the thousands of people who gathered in London.”
Their message added, “We have always said we would fight them in their own courts and we would win … Let’s see if we have.”
The trio have since taken to X after the decision to write “Get In” and declare a 3-0 victory over the British government, before adding, “The world’s biggest terrorists are the leaders of the British state.”
They signed off their message by writing “Free Palestine” and “Free the 6 counties”.
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