A London court has thrown out a terror charge against a member of the Irish rap group Kneecap.

Chief magistrate Paul Goldspring said on Friday the case against Liam Og O hAnnaidh should be thrown out due to a technical error in the way the charge against the Belfast-based rapper was brought. The case has become highly charged with critics citing it as an illustration of a clampdown on free speech.

Goldspring ruled that O hAnnaidh, 27 – initially charged under the Anglicised name Liam O’Hanna and who performs under the stage name Mo Chara – had been charged after the six-month limit to bring such a charge, which can only be dealt with by the magistrates’ court.

“The charge is unlawful and null and this court has no jurisdiction to try the charge,” the judge said.

O hAnnaidh was charged in May for displaying a Hezbollah flag during a London concert in November 2024.

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

O hAnnaidh had denied the offence, saying the flag was thrown on stage during the group’s performance. The band has branded the legal process a “witchhunt”.

Following the ruling, O hAnnaidh hailed the court’s decision. He declared that it showed attempts to muzzle the band’s support for Palestinians had failed.

“It was always about Gaza, about what happens if you dare to speak up … Your attempts to silence us have failed, because we’re right and you’re wrong,” he said in front of a crowd of supporters gathered outside the court.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: “We will work with the Crown Prosecution Service to understand the potential implications of this ruling for us and how that might impact on the processing of such cases in the future.”

Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill welcomed the ruling. “These charges were part of a calculated attempt to silence those who stand up and speak out against the Israeli genocide in Gaza,” she wrote on social media.

Kneecap has been accused by several countries of glorifying terrorism due to statements made in support of Palestinians amid Israel’s war in Gaza.

Hungary and Canada have banned the group from entry, and Germany and Austria cancelled some of their concerts.

Kneecap has accused critics of trying to silence the band because of its support for the Palestinian cause throughout Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed more than 65,000 people and reduced much of the enclave to rubble since it began in October 2023.

They say they do not support Hezbollah and Hamas, nor condone violence.