A member of Irish rap group Kneecap won his bid on Friday to throw out his terrorism prosecution for allegedly displaying a flag of Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah, with a London court ruling that the charge had been brought too late. Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh said the case was "always about Gaza". - REUTERS
00:00Irish rap group Kneecap left to London court on Friday after winning a bid to throw out a terrorism case against one of its members.
00:09Liam Ogg Ohane, stage name Mokhara, was prosecuted for allegedly displaying a flag of Iran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah at a gig last November in London.
00:20The court ruled the charge had been brought too late, outside the six-month legal window.
00:25This 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.
00:40It was always about Gaza, about what happens if you dare to speak up.
00:46As people from Ireland, we know oppression, colonialism, famine and genocide.
00:50Ohane was charged in May under the Terrorism Act, under which it is a criminal offence to display an article in a way which arouses reasonable suspicion that someone is a supporter of a prescribed organisation.
01:03The group is Belfast-based, and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O'Neill also welcomed the ruling, saying in a post on X, the charges were, quote,
01:12part of a calculated attempt to silence those who stand up and speak out against the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
01:18Israel strongly denies committing genocide in its war in Gaza, which began after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza on October 7th, 2023.
01:30NICAP rap in Irish and English, and often display pro-Palestinian messages during their gigs.
01:36The group last month announced it had cancelled a 15-date U.S. tour scheduled for October as a result of the case.
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