‘Free Mo Chara’: Photos from the Kneecap court demonstration

Yesterday (June 18), protesters in their hundreds flocked to Westminster Magistrates Court in west London to express solidarity with Kneecap rapper Mo Chara (real name: Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh) as he faced trial for allegedly supporting Lebanese political and military faction Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK. Ó hAnnaidh was ultimately released on unconditional bail until his next hearing on August 20. 

Answering the call from Kneecap and music protest group Love Music Hate Racism to demonstrate outside of Ó hAnnaidh’s first hearing, supporters of the Belfast rapper appeared in a range of Kneecap-themed costumes. Kneecap’s distinctive tricolour balaclava was worn by many attendees, while others waved the Palestinian and Irish flags side-by-side. 

“It was incredible to see all these slogans in Irish,” says Irish photographer Lily Harte, who captured photos from the demonstration. “People were opening speeches in Irish phrases, there were Irish bands performing, and the crowd was chanting ‘Saoirse don Phalaistín’,” (Irish for ‘Free Palestine’). 

“Who’s the real terrorists? The guys funding Israel’s genocide in Palestine,” one Ó hAnnaidh supporter told social media platform PoliticsJoe, as placards echoed previous arguments made by Kneecap and Massive Attack that Ó hAnnaidh’s charges were a ‘distraction’ from the ongoing genocide taking place in Gaza. Other attendees framed the charges as a threat to the right to protest, with banners calling for the abolition of terror laws and urging supporters to “defend the right to protest”. 

Meanwhile, inside the courtroom, prosecutor Michael Bisgrove argued that the legal action was “not about Mr Ó hAnnaidh’s support for the people of Palestine or his criticism of Israel [...] The allegation in this case [...] deals with a video recording showing that, in November of last year, Mr Ó hAnnaidh wore and displayed the flag of Hezbollah, a proscribed terrorist organisation, while saying ‘up Hamas, up Hezbollah’ [...] Of course, support for one is not the same as support for the other.”

Take a look inside the gallery above for a closer look at the demonstration, featuring protesters of all ages, and even one keffiyeh-wearing cat in a buggy (Kneecat?).