LAST UPDATE | 26 Sep

KNEECAP RAPPER LIAM Óg Ó hAnnaidh, better known as Mo Chara, has hailed “victory” after terror charges against him were thrown out in London this morning.

Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring ruled the case “unlawful” at Woolwich Crown Court, citing an error in how prosecutors brought the charge of displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London gig last year.

The decision sparked swift reaction from the rapper, his bandmates, political leaders in the North, and campaign groups.

Supporters once again gathered outside court, despite restrictions imposed by the Metropolitan Police, with Kneecap dismissing the hearing as a “carnival of distraction.”

Fans celebrated news of the case dismissal with live music and chants.

"We fought the law and WE won"

An ecstatic crowd of Mo Chara supporters outside Woolwich Crown Court right now #kneecap @BelTel pic.twitter.com/2l1wL9uPHZ

— Niamh Campbell (@niamh_journo) September 26, 2025

In a statement posted to Kneecap’s social media, Mo Chara said the prosecution was never about terrorism, but about attempts to silence criticism of Israel.

“This entire process was never about me… It was always about Gaza. About what happens if you dare to speak up,” he said.

“Your attempts to silence us have failed because we are right and you are wrong,” he added.

“We will not be silent. Free Palestine!”

The band and their manager Daniel Lambert described the collapse of the case as proof that political policing had failed.

“We have won!!!!!! Liam Óg is a free man,” Lambert wrote in a post on X.

“Kneecap has NO charges OR convictions in ANY country, EVER. Political policing has failed. Free Palestine.”

Speaking on RTÉ’s Six One News, Lambert said the band knew from the start they would win, calling the case “a farce, an enormous waste of money and a campaign by Zionists to silence solidarity with Palestinian people.”

“I think an easy thing to say would be the police messed up, but… this wasn’t being driven by the police, was being driven by politicians,” he said, adding there was a rush “at the behest of extremely organised lobby… to push this through post-Coachella” because Zionists did not want young Americans supporting Palestine.

Political backing

Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill called the charges “a calculated attempt to silence those who stand up and speak out against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.”

“Kneecap have used their platform on stages across the world to expose this genocide, and it is the responsibility of all of us to continue speaking out and standing against injustice in Palestine,” O’Neill added.

Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald said that the charges “were an attempt to shut him up”.

Mo Chara spoke out against Israel’s genocide, for the people of Gaza, for a free Palestine. The charges were an attempt to shut him up, to silence protest. It failed. He’s free. Kneecap are not the story, Genocide is the story. Saoirse don Phalaistín!🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/IRhNg1hid9

— Mary Lou McDonald (@MaryLouMcDonald) September 26, 2025

“It failed. He’s free. Kneecap are not the story, genocide is the story.”

Sinn Féin MP John Finucane similarly added that the case was “about silencing those who call out Israel’s genocide in Gaza”

“Today, those on the right side of history have prevailed.”

Public criticism

The UK-based Jewish Leadership Council expressed disappointment at the collapse of the prosecution.

“British citizens, including Jews, have a right to expect that allegations involving proscribed, antisemitic terrorist organisations are prosecuted with the utmost care and legality,” it said.

“When they are not, it risks leaving these offences unaddressed and undermines confidence in the rule of law.”

Our statement following the dismissal of the terrorism case against Kneecap band member Mo Chara pic.twitter.com/HOzemeKxaR

— Jewish Leadership Council (@JLC_uk) September 26, 2025

The ruling comes as Kneecap remain banned from entering Canada, where authorities accuse the group of “glorifying terrorist organisations.”

Taoiseach Micheál Martin, visiting Ottawa this week, confirmed he did not raise the ban with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, saying no request for intervention had been made.

The group has said it plans legal action against Canadian MP Vince Gasparro, who accused them of promoting violence in a video earlier this month.

The group were due to tour the US and Canada, but had to cancel due to the court case.