6 hours ago
8
ARTICLE AD BOX
Liam O’Hanna, 27, is accused of breaking British instrumentality by waving a Hezbollah emblem astatine a performance successful London past November.
Published On 18 Jun 2025
A subordinate of the Irish rap radical Kneecap has appeared successful a London tribunal implicit an alleged “terrorism” offence, arsenic hundreds of his supporters gathered extracurricular the building.
Liam O’Hanna, who performs nether the sanction Mo Chara, entered Westminster Magistrates’ Court connected Wednesday morning, a period aft helium was charged for allegedly waving a emblem of the Lebanese equipped radical Hezbollah astatine a performance successful the United Kingdom’s superior past November.
Under British law, it is amerciable to show articles promoting banned groups similar Hezbollah.
Kneecap, a Belfast-based radical who rap successful English but mostly successful Gaeilge (Gaelic, the Irish language), person rejected the complaint of “terrorism”.
“We contradict this ‘offence’ and volition vehemently support ourselves. This is governmental policing. This is simply a carnival of distraction,” the set wrote connected X past month.
O’Hanna told London’s Wide Awake Festival past period that it was an effort to “silence us”.
The set has agelong spoken retired against Israel’s actions successful Gaza, saying the state is committing “genocide”, thing the Israeli authorities denies.
In tribunal connected Wednesday, the prosecution suggested the lawsuit was not astir the rapper’s stance connected Israel and Palestine.
“He is good wrong his rights to dependable his opinions and his solidarity, arsenic is anybody else,” authoritative Michael Bisgrove said.
“The allegation successful this lawsuit is simply a wholly antithetic happening and deals with the video signaling showing that, successful November of past year, Mr O’Hanna wore and displayed the emblem of Hezbollah … portion saying ‘up Hamas, up Hezbollah’.”
In response, Brenda Campbell, the defendant’s lawyer, claimed the complaint was brought excessively late, arsenic it came much than six months aft the alleged transgression was committed astatine a gig successful Kentish Town, northbound London.
Crowds of supporters stitchery arsenic Liam O’Hanna of Irish radical Kneecap departs Westminster Magistrates’ Court successful London, England, connected June 18, 2025 [Peter Nicholls/Getty Images]“If we are close successful narration to that, past this tribunal has nary jurisdiction and determination ends the case,” Campbell said.
Judge Paul Goldspring said a further proceeding would beryllium held connected August 20 to find whether the defence was close successful this assessment.
Before O’Hanna’s quality successful tribunal connected Wednesday, Kneecap took to X to enactment that dozens of Palestinians had been killed by Israeli soldiers connected Tuesday successful Gaza portion waiting for assistance transportation trucks.
“Meanwhile time they volition effort statement Mo Chara a terrorist,” Kneecap added.
A protagonist lasting extracurricular the London courtroom connected Wednesday, who lone gave her sanction arsenic Sadia, felt similarly, calling the complaint against the rapper “ridiculous”.
“Kneecap really correspond each 1 of us. They talk for us, you know, due to the fact that everything they feel, each injustice that they feel, we feel,” she said.
The set changeable to planetary prominence past twelvemonth aft a semi-fictional movie astir them received aggregate awards, including 1 astatine the Sundance Film Festival.
The Irish trio person been supported by salient British musicians specified arsenic Paul Weller and Brian Eno, who person decried what they telephone the “concerted effort to censor and de-platform Kneecap”.
The complaint against O’Hanna is not the lone contention faced by the group. Kneecap apologised this twelvemonth erstwhile a video from 2023 surfaced, which appeared to amusement 1 vocalist calling for the decease of British Conservative Party politicians.
Source:
Al Jazeera and quality agencies
English (US) ·