Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh has said he is relieved at today's UK court judgment which means he will not face a new trial on terrorism charges, but that the band had expected the ruling.
The rapper, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was accused of displaying a flag in support of proscribed terror organisation Hezbollah at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, north London, on 21 November 2024.
However, the case was thrown out in September last year, with the decision upheld today.
Mr Ó hAnnaidh thanked his legal team and said the band had been surprised that the CPS had appealed the original decision.
Speaking on RTÉ's Six One News, Mr Ó hAnnaidh said: "Yeah, we were all surprised that they decided to appeal it because, in football terms, it wasn't like a 1-1 or 2-1. You know what I mean? We hammered them 10-nil. So, we were very surprised. Again, wasting more money," he said.
He added that they would consider further legal action over the prosecution, and said that Kneecap’s performances would not be toned down.
"No, this will not change Kneecap’s performance at all. If anything, it's strengthened us. It's not in our nature to lie down. We're from west Belfast and from Derry.
"And when we see wrongdoing in the world, we'll continue to use our platform for good.
"So no, there will be no change in Kneecap’s performances. We're going to continue to be a headache," he said.
Mr Ó hAnnaidh said that the group was heartened to see the number of people who turned up at the courts to support them.
"I think the Palestinian Solidarity Movement has been going strength to strength over the last three years because the occupation has become an awful lot worse," he said.
"So, I think people seen us and obviously there was a certain level of respect there, that we were in this industry, willing to use our platform to continue to talk about the ongoing genocide.
"I think people obviously respected that and people jumped to support us because they would like to encourage more to do the same."
Mr Ó hAnnaidh acknowledged that the band had been impacted by bans and event cancellations.
"Of course, it's had an impact with certain tours and certain gigs having to be pulled. But for every gig that was pulled, we booked an extra two. For today, this is over and hopefully we can move on," he said.
"And it's worth remembering, whatever financial loss or whatever else the band may have suffered, was absolutely marginal and fractional compared to the ongoing stress on families in Gaza and the West Bank."
Asked about the personal impact of the terrorism charges on him and other band members, he again thanked his management and legal team, and said that the focus on Kneecap was a distraction.
"Every minute we spend talking about me is again another minute that the media is not spending shining a light on the ongoing genocide in Gaza," he said.
"So personally, I can deal with it. We can re-gather and we can move on again. Unfortunately, a lot of families in Gaza and the West Bank aren't afforded the same."
