UK Government Loses Appeal in Terror Charge Against Kneecap Rapper

The UK government lost its appeal against Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh of Kneecap over a terror charge related to alleged Hezbollah support, with the High Court ruling the case was time-barred.

UK Government Loses Appeal Over Terror Charge Against Kneecap Member

The UK government has lost its appeal concerning a terror charge against Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, a member of the Irish language rap trio Kneecap.

Ó hAnnaidh was accused of showing support for the proscribed organisation Hezbollah following a performance in London in 2024.

Last year, the case was dismissed due to a legal timing issue, but the government sought to overturn this decision through an appeal.

On Wednesday, judges at the High Court in London ruled that the 28-year-old would not face a new terror trial after rejecting an appeal by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to reinstate the case.

The judgement, published digitally by Lord Justice Edis and Mr Justice Linden, concurred with the chief magistrate's earlier ruling that the charge against Ó hAnnaidh had been brought outside the six-month statutory time limit.

Details of the Charge and Legal Proceedings

Ó hAnnaidh was initially charged in May 2025 after allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah during a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, in November 2024.

Hezbollah is a Shia Muslim political and military organisation based in Lebanon, known for involvement in various violent conflicts.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring explained in his judgement last September that permission was not granted to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to consent to the prosecution until 22 May 2025, which was one day after Ó hAnnaidh was charged.

If 22 May 2025 was considered the date of the charge, it was six months and one day after the London gig where the alleged offence took place.

The judgement on Wednesday stated agreement with the magistrate that proceedings had "been instituted when the first written charge was issued on 21 May".

"This was invalid as the permission of the Attorney General had not been obtained at that time," the judgement stated.

"It follows that no written charge was issued within 6 months of 21 September 2025 and the judge was right to hold that he had no jurisdiction to try any summary only offence alleged to have been committed on that date."