Kneecap Say UK Government Plans To Appeal Dropped Terror Charge Against Mo Chara

Northern Irish rap agitators Kneecap have claimed the UK government is moving to appeal the ruling that threw out a terror related charge against member Mo Chara, despite the case being declared unlawful by a magistrate last year.

The charge against Mo Chara, real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, was formally dismissed in September, after the Chief Magistrate ruled the case was both “unlawful” and “null” due to the way it had been brought before the court.

The original allegation stemmed from a London show in November 2024, where Ó hAnnaidh was accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag and shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” onstage, both organisations are proscribed under UK law.

Kneecap have repeatedly denied supporting Hamas or Hezbollah, insisting they do not incite or condone violence, the group has also argued that footage from the show was stripped of context, framing the case as a politically motivated distraction rather than a genuine terror concern.

Appeal

The group took to instagram (yesterday, January 1st) to confirm they’ve been notified of an appeal.

“The Brits are at it again…” they wrote.

“The British government has issued us notice that they will appeal the decision of their own magistrates court to throw out the case against Mo Chara,” the group continued.

“It is the view of our legal team that there is not an iota of logic for this, it is without any sound legal basis.”

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Kneecap went further, suggesting the appeal is designed to silence dissent, they described it as a move to “distract from, and to try and silence those who stand on the right side of history”.

“As Israel today moves to ban charitable organisations providing lifesaving aid and primitive shelter to millions, the British state once again turns to vilify those who oppose genocide.”

The appeal is set to be heard on January 14th at the High Court at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.

“We will not be silent. FREE PALESTINE,” Kneecap concluded, following the original ruling, Mo Chara said the case was never about public safety:

“This process was never about me. It was never about threats to [the] public. It was never about terrorism.

“It was always about Gaza, about what happens when you dare to speak up. Your attempts to silence us have failed because we’re right and you’re wrong.”