{"id":8630,"date":"2026-01-14T21:37:47","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T21:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=8630"},"modified":"2026-01-14T21:37:47","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T21:37:47","slug":"uk-prosecutors-seek-to-reinstate-terrorism-charge-against-kneecap-rapper-courts-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/?p=8630","title":{"rendered":"UK prosecutors seek to reinstate \u2018terrorism\u2019 charge against Kneecap rapper | Courts News"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p class=\"article__subhead\"><em>Irish band slams push to reinstate charge against rapper Liam O\u2019Hanna as \u2018waste of public time and public money\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"byline byline--single-avatar\">\n<div class=\"avatars-container\">\n<div class=\"responsive-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/2017-06-08T131939Z_1189275883_RC11B0FE7F20_RTRMADP_3_GULF-QATAR-JAZEERA-1714943623.jpg?resize=96%2C96&amp;quality=80 96w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 96px) 96px, 96px\" aria-hidden=\"true\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-dates\">\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Published On 14 Jan 2026<\/span><span aria-hidden=\"true\">14 Jan 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-share\" data-testid=\"rich-share\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"rich-share__button-wrapper\"><button class=\"rich-share__button row\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><\/p>\n<p>Click here to share on social media<\/p>\n<p><svg class=\"icon icon--share2 icon--primary icon--16 \" viewbox=\"0 0 20 16\" version=\"1.1\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><title>share2<\/title><path fill=\"#000\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\" d=\"M11.688 9.048c-.659 0-1.252.282-1.673.733l-4.92-2.45c.016-.115.028-.232.028-.352 0-.117-.011-.23-.027-.343l4.913-2.423a2.285 2.285 0 0 0 1.68.739C12.964 4.952 14 3.899 14 2.6 14 1.302 12.965.25 11.688.25S9.377 1.302 9.377 2.601c0 .117.01.23.027.343L4.49 5.367a2.285 2.285 0 0 0-1.68-.739C1.536 4.628.5 5.681.5 6.979c0 1.299 1.035 2.35 2.312 2.35.659 0 1.252-.281 1.673-.731l4.92 2.45a2.357 2.357 0 0 0-.029.351c0 1.299 1.035 2.351 2.312 2.351S14 12.698 14 11.399s-1.035-2.35-2.312-2.35Z\" clip-rule=\"evenodd\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"rich-share__social-text\">Share<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>British prosecutors have sought to reinstate a \u201cterrorism\u201d charge against a member of Irish rap group Kneecap for allegedly displaying a flag of Lebanese group Hezbollah during a gig in London, after a judge threw out the case last year.<\/p>\n<p>The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) launched a High Court challenge on Wednesday, arguing that a chief magistrate erred in September when he dismissed the case against Liam O\u2019Hanna, also known as Liam Og O hAnnaidh in Irish, over a technical error.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>O\u2019Hanna, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with displaying the flag at a November 21, 2024, concert in London, breaching the United Kingdom\u2019s 2000 Terrorism Act.<\/p>\n<p>In written submissions unveiled in court, the CPS \u201csubmits that the Learned judge was wrong to find that the proceedings \u2026 were not instituted in the correct form\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Kneecap \u2013 known for their politically charged lyrics and support for Palestinian rights \u2013 have said the case is an attempt to distract from what they described as British complicity in Israel\u2019s genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.<\/p>\n<p>The band has called the attempted prosecution of O\u2019Hanna a \u201cBritish state witch-hunt\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cToday more Palestinians were murdered by Israel,\u201d Kneecap wrote in <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KNEECAPCEOL\/status\/2011485468110553205\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a social media post<\/a> on Wednesday after the court hearing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMore homes demolished and more children dead due to cold and lack of aid not permitted to enter by Israel. That is the ONLY thing about this whole witch-hunt worth talking about,\u201d the band said, denouncing the legal proceedings as \u201ca waste of public time and public money\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4239675\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4239675\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4239675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/afp_6967f22c45b9-1768419884.jpg?w=770&amp;resize=770%2C513&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Supporters of Irish rap group Kneecap band member, Liam O'Hanna, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, hold placards as they gather outside the Royal Courts of Justice ahead of the singer's arrival in London on January 14, 2026.\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4239675\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Kneecap supporters rally in defence of O\u2019Hanna on January 14, 2026 [AFP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>O\u2019Hanna was charged in May after a video emerged from the London concert in which he allegedly displayed the Hezbollah flag, an offence he has denied.<\/p>\n<p>Kneecap previously said the flag was thrown on stage during their performance and that they \u201cdo not, and have never\u201d supported Hezbollah.<\/p>\n<p>The charge against O\u2019Hanna was thrown out in September after a court ruled it had originally been brought without the permission of the director of public prosecutions and the attorney general, as well as one day outside the six-month statutory limit.<\/p>\n<p>But CPS lawyer Paul Jarvis told London\u2019s High Court on Wednesday that permission was only required by the time O\u2019Hanna first appeared in court, meaning the case can proceed.<\/p>\n<p>O\u2019Hanna did not attend the hearing.<\/p>\n<p>But his bandmate, JJ O Dochartaigh, better known by the stage name DJ Provai, was in court alongside the band\u2019s manager, Dan Lambert, and its lawyers.<\/p>\n<p>About 100 Kneecap supporters also turned up at the court to show their support, holding Irish and Palestinian flags, singing songs and listening to speeches.<\/p>\n<p>Kneecap has promised to \u201cwin again\u201d, arguing in legal filings that September\u2019s court decision to throw out the charge \u201cwas plainly correct\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Irish band slams push to reinstate charge against rapper Liam O\u2019Hanna as \u2018waste of public time and public money\u2019. Published On 14 Jan 202614 Jan 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share British prosecutors have sought to reinstate a \u201cterrorism\u201d charge against a member of Irish rap group Kneecap for allegedly displaying [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8631,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}