THE lead singer of rap trio Kneecap was mobbed by supporters as he arrived at court this morning accused of a terrorism offence.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig in November last year.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh arriving at Westminster magistrate Court this morning[/caption]
Kneecap member, DJ Provai, is mobbed by fans outside the court[/caption]
Kneecap’s Naoise O Caireallain cheers as he’s surrounded by fans[/caption]
The 27-year-old is due to go before magistrates in Westminster today following the alleged incident during a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London.
Og O hAnnaidh, as well as fellow members Naoise O Caireallain, and J J O Dochartaigh, arrived to a scrum of hundreds of their supporters who cheered as their vehicle pulled up.
However, pro-Israel demonstrators also held a counter protest, with police keeping both groups separate.
The band were wearing “Free Mo Chara” T-shirts as they arrived at the central London court.
The members of Kneecap walked up the stairs of the court and looked over the balcony, smiling and giving a thumbs up to their hundreds of supporters gathered outside.
A crowd of supporters had surged around the entrance as the band arrived, with some also entering the lobby.
The charge Og O hAnnaidh faces alleges he displayed a flag in a public place, “in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation” – namely Hezbollah.
Kneecap described the prosecution as a “witch hunt” in a post on X on Tuesday evening.
The post including a short video which appeared to show a billboard that had been displayed in London with the words “more blacks, more dogs, more Irish, Mo Chara”.
Supporters began to gather outside the court building on Wednesday morning holding placards saying “Free Mo Chara” and “Defend Kneecap”.
A mixture of Palestinian and Kneecap flags were being held by some of the crowd, and cheers were heard after an ad van drove past displaying the slogan “More Blacks, More Dogs, More Irish, Mo Chara”.
Austrian Alexandra Kennedy, who had travelled from her home country to show support, said: “I think that Kneecap are important to so many people that if Liam Og O hAnnaidh gets a heavy sentence, then maybe people will lose something, they need the connection to Kneecap.”
Copywriter Victoria Ashworth travelled from her home in Brighton with her daughter Lily to attend the protest.
Ms Ashworth, 53, said: “I just feel like the charges are utterly ridiculous. I believe in freedom of speech.”
Police removed a pro-Israel protester who walked into the crowd wearing an Israeli flag which prompted boos, swearing and shouts of “free Palestine”.
The crowd became animated and shouted “Israel is a terrorist state” and “take him out for his own safety” as he made gestures and argued with protesters.
Police surrounded the man as the crowd moved towards him, with protesters cheering as he was removed.
The Metropolitan Police said the force had charged O hAnnaidh, who appears on the court list as Liam O’Hanna, after initially being made aware of a video from the gig at the O2 Forum which had been posted online.
In a separate event shortly after the terrorism charge, O hAnnaidh could be seen in social media videos entering the stage with tape covering his mouth.
Kneecap said they have “never supported” Hamas or Hezbollah, both of which are banned in the UK.
Og O Hannaidh is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbolla[/caption]
Pro-Israel protesters try to counter-protest[/caption]
A fan dressed as Adolf Hitler[/caption]
Police officers take away a counter-protestor carrying an Israeli flag[/caption]
