A British judge has dropped the terrorism charge against Mo Chara, one of three members of the Irish rap band Kneecap that inaugurated a wave of anti-Israel protests at music festivals.
Chara, the stage name of Liam O’Hanna, was charged with the offense in May, after video circulated showing him holding a Hezbollah flag at a November 2024 concert. The manner in which he held the flag, prosecutors said, would “arouse reasonable suspicion that he is a supporter of a proscribed organisation, namely Hizballah.”
In the video, circulated by the group’s critics, O’Hanna appears to be chanting “Up Hamas, Up Hezbollah.” Kneecap later issued a statement denouncing the groups, which have attacked Israel, at the urging of the Irish prime minister.
A British judge ruled on Friday, O’Hanna’s latest court date, that prosecutors had not brought the charges within the six-month window required under the law. He did not rule on the substance of the prosecutors’ argument.
The dropped charge comes as Kneecap has had concerts canceled in at least three countries, with some citing the charge against O’Hanna as a reason. Canada barred the group from entering, and the group canceled a sold-out U.S. tour this fall amid concerns that its members would not receive visas to enter the United States.
The group vaulted into public view during the U.S. festival Coachella in April, when they projected the words “F–k Israel. Free Palestine” on stage. The display drew widespread condemnation and calls to have their visas revoked.
In lieu of the U.S. tour, the band has instead coordinated a livestream of a performance at the Kings Theatre, in Brooklyn on Oct. 10. The concert, which will be performed in an undisclosed location in Ireland, will also be broadcast online from 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
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