Member of Irish rap group Kneecap appears at UK court on terrorism charge

LONDON (Reuters) : A member of Irish rap group Kneecap was welcomed by hundreds of supporters as he arrived at a London court on Wednesday, charged with a terrorism offense for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah.

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who was initially charged under the Anglicized name Liam O’Hanna and whose stage name is Mo Chara, is alleged to have waved the flag of the banned militant group Hezbollah during a Kneecap gig in London in November 2024.

The 27-year-old was charged in May under the Terrorism Act, under which it is a criminal offense to display an article in a way which arouses reasonable suspicion that someone is a supporter of a proscribed organization.

Wednesday’s hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court is expected to deal with Óg Ó hAnnaidh’s argument that the charge was brought too late and should be thrown out, failing which he is likely to formally enter a plea.

Belfast-based Kneecap, who rap in Irish and English and regularly display pro-Palestinian messages during their gigs, previously said the flag had been thrown on stage and described the charge as an attempt to silence them.

The group – who rap about Irish identity and support the republican cause of uniting Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland – have been increasingly vocal about the war in Gaza since Óg Ó hAnnaidh was charged.

Kneecap led a 30,000-strong crowd at Glastonbury Festival in June in chants against Prime Minister Keir Starmer and accused Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza, which Israel denies.