The UK Government has issued notice to appeal the ruling that led to Kneecap member Mo Chara’s terror charge being thrown out last year, according to the band.
In a post on social media, Kneecap said “the Brits are at it again”: “It is the view of our legal team that there is not an iota of logic for this, it is without any sound legal basis,” the group wrote. “It is another flailing arm to distract from, and to try and silence those who stand on the right side of history as they are complicit.”
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The original case centred on allegations that Mo Chara, real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, displayed a Hezbollah flag during a November 2024 Kneecap concert in London. However, police weren’t made aware of the alleged incident until April 2025, following the band’s controversial criticism of Israel and the Gaza war during their Coachella performance.
Kneecap have consistently denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah, and said that they do not incite or condone violence. They have also argued that the footage at the UK shows had been taken out of context, and described the legal action as a “carnival of distraction”.
By September, the case was dropped due to a technicality relating to the way in which it was brought about, with the Chief Magistrate telling the court that the charge against him was “unlawful” and “null”.
Once the decision to throw out the case had been made, Mo Chara said that he was “absolutely” considering taking legal action against the British state, and told Prime Minister Keir Starmer: “Better luck next time”.
The appeal was first announced in October, when the Crown Prosecution Service announced it would challenge the Judge’s ruling. It will now be heard on January 14th, at the High Court at the Royal Courts of Justice in London.
In the post to social media, Kneecap went on to say that they believe this is a tactic to “distract from, and to try and silence those who stand on the right side of history”, adding: “As Israel today moves to ban charitable organisations providing lifesaving aid and primitive shelter to millions, the British state once again turns to vilify those who oppose genocide.”
They concluded: “We will not be silent. Free Palestine.”
