‘Three-Nil to Kneecap’: Terrorism Charge dropped by UK Division Court

By Melissandre St Hilaire

“Three-nil to Kneecap” [1], the band’s rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, more commonly known by the stage name Mo Chara, announced to hundreds of supporters outside the London Divisional Court, after terrorism charges against him were dropped. The group is far from new to controversy, known for their anti-establishment rhetoric and revival of the Irish language; it seems this is just the latest addition to their brand.

The legal uproar kicked off back in May 2025, when Mo Chara was first charged under Section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 for allegedly wearing a Hezbollah flag during a gig at the O2 forum in Kentish Town, North London, in November 2024. Chief magistrate, Paul Goldspring, rejected the case brought by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) last September due to a filing error, ruling that the CPS needed to seek the Attorney-General’s permission to charge the rapper. The permission was granted the next day, however Mo Chara’s legal team claimed that this meant the charge fell outside the six-month timeframe in which it could be brought. In another attempt to overturn Goldspring’s decision, an appeal brought by the CPS before two high court judges failed again, was dismissed and ruled unlawful. The judgment read that the decision “turned on a very narrow and technical legal issue and has nothing to do with whether the respondent committed the offence set out in the charge…the respondent has not been tried for his alleged conduct and will not be tried. He has not been convicted, and he has not been acquitted” [2]. 

Representatives of the band, Phoenix Law, slammed the prosecution as a “legally laughable witch-hunt.” Solicitor, Darragh Mackin, continued to describe the case as “a witch-hunt that was born at Coachella, cultivated in Westminster, comes to an end in West Belfast.” [3]. As far as the court is concerned, Kneecap escaped on a slim technicality, but in the realm of public opinion, the case has sparked a much wider discussion on freedom of speech. 

The rap group has claimed a pro-Palestinian stance, leading to intense backlash; cancelled gigs, visa concerns and barred entry into countries for tours. Nevertheless, the group has continued to display their connection to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, stressing that “as people from the North of Ireland, we know about f****** religious conflicts – people using religions as a way to murder, maim and all this stuff”. At a press conference in Belfast, Mo Chara said that the case should not distract from public suffering: “This is bigger than us. Whatever kind of stress we feel, it’s minimal compared to the stress put on families in Gaza” [4]. Public reactions seem to have split: some view the case as another attempt by the UK government to police political scrutiny, whereas others view the group as an extension of “correct-think in a balaclava” responsible for inciting violence and antisemitism. [5]

Commentators have drawn connections to the Palestine Action group members who faced similar charges. Noting that the victory for Kneecap should be “celebrated as a defeat of the state’s attempts to silence opposition, [and] if the proscription of Palestine Action is overturned, it will sink the Labour government further into crisis”. [6] 

On either side of the coin, the recent dismissal of charges has started a broader conversation about censorship, the role of music in politics and freedom of speech. Alex LoSardo from Love Music Hate Racism stated that “musicians and artists should be able to speak how they want to speak” and this dispute “will only make Kneecap more popular” [6].

References:

[1] R. Freeman, ‘British Government fails yet another Palestine prosecution as Kneecap man goes free’, 13 March 2026, Canary https://www.thecanary.co/global/world-analysis/2026/03/12/kneecap-victory-hezbollah-flag/ 

[2] Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, ‘The Director of Public Prosecutions v Liam Og O Hannahidh’, 11 March 2026 Judgement https://www.judiciary.uk/judgments/the-director-of-public-prosecutions-v-liam-og-o-hannaidh/ 

[3] Phoenix Law, ‘Kneecap Win Major Legal Victory in London Divisional Court’, 11 March 2026 https://www.phoenix-law.org/kneecap-win-major-legal-victory-in-london-divisional-court/ 

[4] J. Garnsworthy, ‘Kneecap rapper: ‘We are not antisemitic’, 19 March 2026, The Independent https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hezbollah-big-issue-belfast-kneecap-israel-b2941458.html 

[5] Spiked, ‘What Kneecap said is far worse than you think’, 27 September 2025 https://www.spiked-online.com/2025/09/27/what-kneecap-said-is-far-worse-than-you-think/ 

[6] C. Royle, ‘Charges dropped against Kneecap band member Mo Chara’, Socialist Worker, 26 September 2025 https://socialistworker.co.uk/palestine-2023/charges-dropped-against-kneecap-band-member-mo-chara/