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Jessica LawrenceBBC News NI
PA Media
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh pictured at a previous court hearing in London
The UK government has lost its appeal over a terror charge against a member of the Irish language rap trio Kneecap.
On Wednesday, judges at the High Court in London said the 28-year-old would not face a new terror trial after it rejected a Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) appeal.
Ó hAnnaidh was first charged in May 2025 after allegedly displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah during a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town in London in November 2024.
Hezbollah are a Shia Muslim political and military group in Lebanon which has been involved in a series of violent conflicts
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring outlined in his judgement last September that permission was not given to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to consent to the prosecution until 22 May – a day after Ó hAnnaidh was charged.
If 22 May was considered to be the date of the charge, that was six months and one day after the London gig where the offence allegedly took place.
The judgement on Wednesday said it agreed with the magistrate that proceedings had "been instituted when the first written charge was issued on 21 May".
"This was invalid as the permission of the Attorney General had not been obtained at that time," the judgement stated.
"It follows that no written charge was issued within 6 months of 21 September 2025 and the judge was right to hold that he had no jurisdiction to try any summary only offence alleged to have been committed on that date."
Kneecap are an Irish language trio, formed in 2017 by three musicians who go by the stage names of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí.
Over the years, the group have faced criticism for their provocative lyrics and merchandise.
Reuters
The group go by the stage names of (L-R) Mo Chara, DJ Próvaí and Móglaí Bap
After their performance at the US music festival Coachella in April 2025, the group were criticised for displaying messages about the war in Gaza during their set.
In November 2024, the group won its case against the UK government over a decision the then-UK Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch took to withdraw an arts grant.
