Sawt Falasteen - Kneecap band member due back in UK court over terror charge

Liam O'Hanna, 27, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, was charged in May after being accused of displaying a flag of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group during a London concert in November.

His legal team has challenged whether the charge was filed within a six-month time limit, with a decision expected at Westminster Magistrates' Court in central London.

Supporters are set to flock to the area again for the 10:00 am (0900 GMT) hearing, as hundreds did in August in a noisy, highly visible show of solidarity.

"Come and show your support outside Westminster Magistrates Court," the band posted on X earlier this week, branding the legal process a "witch-hunt".

But they warned that the Metropolitan Police had now set a new route and had "removed our supporters from anywhere close to the court entrance. This is petty in the extreme".

"There is no basis for this, both our last hearings were entirely peaceful and a loving show of solidarity," the band added.

Since the UK banned Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation in 2019, it has been an offence to show support for the group.

O'Hanna has denied wrongdoing, saying in previous interviews that he did not know what the Hezbollah flag was, and that he is part of a sometimes satirical musical act not to be taken at face value.

Kneecap has also said the video that led to the charge was taken out of context.

In an interview with AFP earlier this month, O'Hanna predicted the charge was "clearly going to get thrown out, because it's ridiculous".

The raucous punk-rap group, who sing in the Irish language as well as English, has also issued a statement saying "they do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah."

They have seen their notoriety increase since the start of the legal proceedings, having been banned in Canada and Hungary, with some of their concerts cancelled in Germany and Austria.

The group cancelled all 15 dates of a planned US tour next month, because they fell too close to the court case.

- Palestine Action arrests -

Kneecap has grabbed headlines for statements denouncing Israel's war in Gaza.

The UK legal case comes amid growing controversy over support for banned organisations.

Hundreds have been arrested, mostly at demonstrations, since the Palestine Action group was outlawed in early July under anti-terrorism laws.

The government ban on Palestine Action came into force days after it took responsibility for a break-in at an air force base in southern England that caused an estimated £7 million ($9.3 million) of damage.

The group said its activists were protesting Britain's military support for Israel during the Gaza war.

Supporting a proscribed group is a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison in the UK.

Daring provocateurs to their fans, dangerous extremists to their detractors, Kneecap was formed in 2017 and is no stranger to controversy.

Its lyrics are filled with references to drugs, members have repeatedly clashed with the UK government, and they have vocally opposed British rule in Northern Ireland.

Last year, the group was catapulted to international fame by a semi-fictional film based on them that scooped multiple awards, including at the Sundance festival.

T.Khatib--SF-PST