London court delays verdict; Kneecap cancels U.S. tour

A London court hearing late last month has delayed a verdict in a terrorism-related case against a Kneecap member, prompting the Belfast-based rap trio to cancel their entire 15-date U.S. tour planned for October. The decision to pull the American leg comes as the defendant’s lawyers challenge the legality and timing of the charges, while the group and its supporters frame the dispute as part of a broader political struggle over the war in Gaza and other Middle East events.

Mo Chara, whose real name is Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, faces a charge under the Terrorism Act for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a November 2024 Kneecap show in London. The charge was brought in May, and Chara has denied the allegation, saying the footage has been misrepresented and that the case is being used to distract from Gaza-related atrocities. At a Westminster Magistrates Court appearance on August 20, his defense argued the case should be dismissed because the Attorney General did not authorize the charge when police first informed him in May, outside the six-month window prescribed for such prosecutions. Prosecution counsel contended that permission was not required until the defendant’s...