The Japan Times - Kneecap rapper in court on terrorism charge over Hezbollah flag

Liam O'Hanna, 27, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged in May accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London concert in November.

He arrived at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London with other band members with a sea of supporters brandishing banners and chanting "Free Palestine".

Wednesday's hearing is expected to deal with legal arguments on whether the charge falls outside a six-month time limit.

Since the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah was banned in the UK in 2019, it has been an offence to show any support for it.

In recent months, Kneecap has grabbed headlines for provocative statements denouncing the war in Gaza and against Israel.

The hearing comes amid a growing UK controversy over government moves to prosecute those deemed to show support for banned organisations.

More than 700 people have been arrested, mostly at demonstrations, since the Palestine Action group was outlawed in early July under the Terrorism Act 2000.

The government ban on Palestine Action came into force days after it took responsibility for a break-in at an air force base in southern England that caused an estimated £7.0 million ($9.3 million) of damage to two aircraft.

The group said its activists were responding to Britain's indirect military support for Israel during the war in Gaza.

Supporting a proscribed group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison.

- Provocative -

There has been huge support for Kneecap and O'Hanna, Liam Og O hAnnaidh in Gaelic, by the band's fans since his first court appearance in June.

Mary Hobbs, 31, from Belfast told AFP on Wednesday: "I'm glad I could make it. I took a day off just to be here."

"The charges are ludicrous, ludicrous. The justice system is just broken when you have things like this happening."

Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told the previous hearing the case was "not about Mr O'Hanna's support for the people of Palestine or his criticism of Israel".

"He is well within his rights to voice his opinions and his solidarity," Bisgrove said.

Instead, the prosecutor said, the case was about O'Hanna wearing and displaying "the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation, while allegedly saying 'Up Hamas, up Hezbollah'".

The raucous punk-rap group has denied the accusations and said the video that led to the charge was taken out of context.

"We massively appreciate the support of what we know are the majority of the public, who can see this farce for what it is," the group said Tuesday in a post on X.

And they urged supporters to comply with police security arrangements outside the court.

Daring provocateurs to their fans, dangerous extremists to their detractors, the group's members rap in the Irish language as well as English.

Formed in 2017, the group is no stranger to controversy. Their lyrics are filled with references to drugs, they have repeatedly clashed with the UK's previous Conservative government and have vocally opposed British rule in Northern Ireland.

Last year, the group was catapulted to international fame by a semi-fictional film based on them that scooped multiple awards including at the Sundance festival.

Y.Ishikawa--JT