Kneecap’s Mo Chara, real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, will not face a new trial on terrorism-related charges after the UK government lost an appeal against a previous decision to drop the case.
Following the outcome of the UK government’s unsuccessful appeal, Ó hAnnaidh took to Kneecap’s Instagram Stories to call himself a “free mawn”.
Ó hAnnaidh was last year charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag at a gig in London in November 2024. Last September, the chief magistrate at Woolwich Crown Court, Paul Goldspring, ruled in favour of the rapper’s defence team that there was a legal error in the way that the charge was brought against him, and the case was dropped.
Speaking outside the court when the case was originally dropped, Ó hAnnaidh said: “This entire process was never about me. It was never about any threat to the public, it was never about terrorism – a word used by your government to discredit people you oppress. It was always about Gaza, about what happens if you dare to speak up. Your attempts to silence us have failed because we’re right and you’re wrong.”
Earlier this year, the group accused the UK government of wasting over £1 million on appealing the outcome of the terror case.
