Prosecutors to appeal abandoned terror charge against Kneecap's Mo Chara
Kneecap have called the move "unsurprising", reiterating their claims that the case is part of a "state-wide witch hunt against Palestinian solidarity"
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said that it will appeal the decision to dismiss charges against Kneecap's Mo Chara after a judge threw out the terror case against him last month (September 26).
Mo Chara, real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, was charged under the 2000 Terrorism Act in May, after a video resurfaced allegedly showing him flying a Hezbollah flag at a London gig in 2024. Hezbollah is a proscribed terror organisation in the UK.
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Last month, Woolwich Crown Court's Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring dismissed the charges against Mo Chara due to a "technical blunder" by prosecutors, who failed to submit charges before the six-month limit.
The CPS has said it is now appealing the decision, with a spokesperson telling The Guardian that prosecutors believe there is "an important point of law which needs to be clarified.”
In a statement shared via Twitter yesterday (October 7), Kneecap said they are "unsurprised" by the CPS' move to appeal the ruling, alleging that "this whole process has not been driven by the police or courts", but by "politicians backed up by the media."
"This is political policing," their statement adds. "The CPS have submitted nothing new in their appeal. What there is though, is a state-wide witch hunt against Palestinian solidarity."
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Following last month's ruling to dismiss the charges, Ó hAnnaidh said that he was considering legal action against the UK government over the charges brought against him due to the reputational damage and loss of earnings brought by the case.
Despite Kneecap and Ó hAnnaidh's insistence that they had not broken "any laws", the months-long court battle resulted in the Irish rap trio being banned from entering Canada and forced to cancel a string of US tour dates.
You can read Kneecap's full statement, below.
Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter