A member of rap trio Kneecap has arrived at court to face a terrorism charge as hundreds of people turned out with placards and flags in a show of support.
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.
The 27-year-old arrived at court on Wednesday with the other two members of the Belfast trio – Naoise O Caireallain, and J J O Dochartaigh.
Kneecap said London had been “plastered” with messages of support before the hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, with a billboard displaying the words “more blacks, more dogs, more Irish, Mo Chara” seen in the Lambeth area.
O hAnnaidh is due to appear in court following an alleged incident during a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London.
The charge 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.
A huge scrum of their hundreds of supports greeted them as they slowly made their way to the entrance of the court building.
The band were wearing “Free Mo Chara” T-shirts.
Supporters gathered outside the court building from early in the 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.
The Met previously said Kneecap were under investigation after clips posted online appeared to show the band calling for the deaths of MPs and shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.
The rap trio said they have “never supported” Hamas or Hezbollah, both of which are banned in the UK.
