KNEECAP rapper Liam Og O hAnnaidh will not face a terror trial after judges at the High Court rejected an appeal today against the decision to throw out the case.

The rapper, who performs as Mo Chara, was accused of displaying a flag in support of proscribed terror organisation Hezbollah at a gig in north London on November 21 2024.

The case was thrown out in September last year, with chief magistrate Paul Goldspring ruling the proceedings were “instituted unlawfully.”

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) appealed, but two judges upheld the decision today and dismissed the appeal. 

The magistrate had agreed with Mr O hAnnaidh’s lawyers that prosecutors needed the Attorney General’s permission to charge the rapper before informing him on May 21 that he would be charged. 

This permission was sought and given the following day, meaning the charge fell outside the six-month time limit.

In a statement, Mr O hAnnaidh said: “This entire process was never about me, never about any threat to the public and never about ‘terrorism,’ a word used by the British government to discredit people you oppress both in Ireland and across the world.

“It was always about Palestine and about what happens if you dare to speak up. 

“About what happens if you can reach large groups of people and expose their hypocrisy.

“I will not be silent. Kneecap will not be silent.”

Speaking in Belfast, he added: “This is bigger than us — whatever kind of stress that we felt, it’s minimal compared to the stress put on the families in Gaza.

“We’ll continue to use whatever platform we have to talk about Gaza.”

The CPS said: “We accept the judgement and will update our processes accordingly.”