A member of the Irish rap trio Kneecap charged under the Terrorism Act has been granted unconditional bail — leaving him free to play at the Glastonbury Festival this month.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh, 27, who was charged under the name Liam O’Hanna, is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, in November.
Michael Bisgrove, for the prosecution, told Westminster magistrates’ court: “This case is not about [the defendant’s] support for the people of Palestine or his criticism of Israel.” Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring told the rapper he must next attend court on August 20.
A crowd carrying protest signs and guitars had gathered outside court after the band urged supporters to “bring flags, bring instruments, bring banners, bring your mates” to the court in protest.
The rapper arrived at Westminster magistrates’ court, where a judge will decide whether to continue his bail, with his bandmates to cheers from supporters.
He was wearing a keffiyeh — a black and white headscarf which has become a symbol of solidarity with Palestine.
Some demonstrators were carrying Palestinian and Irish flags and others held posters reading “Defend Kneecap” and “Free Mo Chara” — a reference to the rapper’s stage name, which means “my friend” in Irish.
One held a banner describing Sir Keir Starmer as a “genocide enabler”.
Another chanted “free, free” to which the crowd responded “Palestine” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
The controversial expression, which refers to the River Jordan and Mediterranean Sea, is viewed by pro-Palestinian groups as a call for self-determination, but pro-Israel groups see it as pro-Hamas and a call for the destruction of the Jewish state.
A counterprotester was removed by police after walking into the crowd outside court wearing an Israeli flag. The man was met with boos and swearing as he made gestures and argued with protesters.
Victoria Ashworth, 53, a copywriter, said outside court: “I just feel like the charges are utterly ridiculous. I believe in freedom of speech.” Her 20-year-old daughter, Lily, added: “They’re allowed to have their own voice and shutting them down doesn’t seem fair.”
Kneecap’s lawyers include Gareth Peirce, who represented the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, in his US extradition case; Darragh Mackin, who helped Kneecap win their case against Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative Party leader; and Brenda Campbell KC, who represented the families of the Hillsborough disaster.
Kneecap took out billboards across London that read “more blacks, more dogs, more Irish, Mo Chara”. They said on Tuesday that they had “plastered London with a few messages ahead of this witch-hunt”.
The billboards feature the colours of the Irish flag and a reference to the “no Irish, no blacks, no dogs” signs that were placed in the windows of some London pubs and boarding houses in the 1950s and 1960s.
Kneecap posted: “British courts have long charged people from the North of Ireland with ‘terrorism’ for crimes never committed. We will fight them. We will win.”
The Met said it had charged O’Hanna after initially being made aware of a video that had been shared online. The force previously said the trio were under investigation after clips posted appeared to show them calling for the deaths of MPs and shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.
Kneecap said they have “never supported” Hamas or Hezbollah, both of which are banned in the UK. In a previous statement the group said: “We are not the story. Genocide is.”
