London's High Court dismissed the Crown Prosecution Service's appeal on March 11, upholding a lower court's decision to quash a terrorism charge against Kneecap rapper Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, known as Mo Chara.

Lord Justice Edis and Mr Justice Linden ruled that Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring was correct in September 2025 to throw out the case at Woolwich Crown Court, finding no jurisdiction due to a procedural flaw. The charge stemmed from an alleged incident on November 21, 2024, when Ó hAnnaidh, 28, from Belfast, displayed a Hezbollah flag during a Kneecap performance at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town, London, while reportedly saying "Up Hamas, up Hezbollah."

Prosecutors notified Ó hAnnaidh of the charge on May 21, 2025, but obtained required consent from the Attorney General the next day, exceeding the six-month limit for summary offenses needing such approval. Goldspring deemed the initial charge invalid, as proceedings began without prior permission.

The High Court judges emphasized that the decision addressed only a narrow technical issue on jurisdiction, not the merits of whether Ó hAnnaidh committed the offense of supporting the proscribed group Hezbollah. "The respondent has not been tried... and will not be tried," Lord Justice Edis wrote.

Ó hAnnaidh described the case at a Belfast press conference as a "witch hunt" aimed at silencing pro-Palestine voices. "This entire process was never about me, never about any threat to the public and never about terrorism... it was always about Palestine," he said, adding, "I will not be silent, Kneecap will not be silent." He joked it was "three-nil to Kneecap," referencing prior legal wins, including a November 2024 victory restoring an arts grant.

Kneecap, an Irish-language rap trio formed in 2017 by Ó hAnnaidh, Naoise Ó Cairealláin (Móglaí Bap), and J.J. Ó Dochartaigh (DJ Próvaí), is known for politically charged lyrics supporting Palestinian causes. The group claimed the flag was thrown onstage and denied supporting Hamas or Hezbollah. Their semi-fictional film won a Bafta in February 2025.

A CPS spokesperson accepted the judgment, stating it clarified procedures for such charges and that processes would be updated accordingly. Ó hAnnaidh's lawyer, Darragh Mackin of Phoenix Law, called the prosecution "unlawful from its very inception" and a waste of resources.

The ruling ends the proceedings, with no new trial possible.