UK High Court Dismisses Appeal in Kneecap Terrorism Case

London's High Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by British prosecutors, ensuring that Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, a member of the Irish rap group Kneecap who performs as Mo Chara, will not face a terrorism trial over an incident at a concert in north London last year.

The ruling upholds a lower court's decision from September 2024 to throw out the charge against Ó hAnnaidh, who had been accused of displaying a flag supporting the proscribed organization Hezbollah during Kneecap's performance at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town on November 21, 2024. The charge stemmed from footage showing Ó hAnnaidh holding the flag on stage while making statements that prosecutors said aroused reasonable suspicion of support for the banned group, in violation of the United Kingdom's Terrorism Act 2000.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring dismissed the case due to a procedural irregularity. Prosecutors had notified Ó hAnnaidh on May 21, 2024, that he would be charged, but they only sought and received permission from the Attorney General the following day. The court found this placed the charge outside the six-month time limit for bringing such proceedings. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) appealed the...