A terror cost towards Kneecap rapper Liam Og O hAnnaidh has been thrown out by a court docket.
The Irish rapper, who performs underneath the title Mo Chara, appeared at Woolwich Crown Courtroom on a single terror cost.
Giving his ruling, chief Justice of the Peace Paul Goldspring stated: “These proceedings against the defendant were instituted unlawfully and are null.”
The 27-year-old had been accused of displaying a flag in help of Hezbollah at a gig on the O2 Discussion board in Kentish City, north London, on 21 November final 12 months.
He had been on unconditional bail since his first court docket look in June.
After delivering his ruling, the decide stated: “Mr O hAnnaidh, you are free to go,” which was met by cheers within the public gallery and applause.
The levity was met with a stern reprimand, with the decide including: “You can do your celebrating outside, but the court now has other business to attend to”.
Each of O hAnnaidh’s mother and father had been in court docket to help him.
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‘We’re proper and also you’re improper’
O hAnnaidh: ‘We’re proper and also you’re improper’
Talking exterior court docket, O hAnnaidh thanked his authorized group and interpreter, earlier than addressing his massive crowd of supporters.
He stated: “This entire process was never about me, never about any threat to the public, never about terrorism. A word used by your government to discredit people you oppress. It was always about Gaza. About what happens if you dare to speak up.
“As individuals from Eire, we all know oppression, colonialism, famine and genocide. We’ve suffered and nonetheless endure underneath your empire.
“Your attempts to silence us have failed, because we’re right and you’re wrong… We will not be silent. We said we’d fight you in your court and we would win, and today we have.
If anyone on this planet is guilty of terrorism, it’s the British state. Free Palestine. Tiocfaidh ar la [Irish for our day will come].”
The viewers responded with cheers and chants of “Free, free Palestine”.
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O hAnnaidh speaks exterior court docket following the ruling
Choose says prosecution’s earlier arguments ‘defy logic’
At first of the listening to, O hAnnaidh stood to substantiate his title, date of start and present deal with, talking in Irish together with his phrases translated by an interpreter. The decide then summarised his judgement for the court docket.
He made clear the aim of the listening to was to not decide O hAnnaidh’s innocence or guilt, however about whether or not the court docket had jurisdiction to listen to the case.
He went on to say he agreed with O hAnnaidh’s attorneys, who argued that the Lawyer Common had not given permission for the case to be introduced towards the defendant when police knowledgeable him he was to face a terror cost on 21 Might.
Felony proceedings are instituted when a prison cost is first issued, not when the defendant first seems in court docket.
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Protestors exterior court docket. Pic: PA
Concluding the explanations for his choice, the chief Justice of the Peace stated: “I find that these proceedings were not instituted in the correct form, lacking the necessary DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) and AG (Attorney General) consent within the six-month statutory time limit.
“The time restrict requires consent to have been granted on the time or earlier than the problem of the requisition.
“Consequently, the charge is unlawful and null and this court has no jurisdiction to try the charge.”
Sweeping apart the prosecution’s earlier argument that permission from the DPP and AG was not required till the defendant’s first court docket look, and that permission didn’t must be sought to be able to deliver a prison cost, the chief Justice of the Peace stated such arguments “defy logic”.
Kneecap’s supervisor Daniel Lambert stated the rap trio had been on the “right side of history”, and stated in a put up on X: “We said we would fight them and win. We did (Twice). Kneecap has NO charges OR convictions in ANY country, EVER.”
Final 12 months, Kneecap gained a discrimination case towards the UK authorities after Conservative chief Kemi Badenoch tried to refuse them a £14,250 funding award when she was enterprise secretary.
Irish First Minister: ‘Kneecap used their platform to reveal genocide’
Swiftly responding to the court docket ruling, Northern Eire’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill stated on social media that she welcomed the choice, saying: “These charges were part of a calculated attempt to silence those who stand up and speak out against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
“Kneecap have used their platform on levels the world over to reveal this genocide, and it’s the accountability of all of us to proceed talking out and standing towards injustice in Palestine.”
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald wrote on X: “Mo Chara spoke out towards Israel’s genocide, for the individuals of Gaza, for a free Palestine.
“The charges were an attempt to shut him up, to silence protest. It failed. He’s free. Kneecap are not the story. Genocide is the story.”
The venue of the listening to had been modified at brief discover, following a burst mains pipe at Westminster Magistrates’ Courtroom.
