“More blacks, more dogs, more Irish, Mo Chara” read the posters that have been plastered all over London just the day before the trial of rap trio Kneecap’s Mo Chara.

The signs are a call back to racist signs that adorned shops and boarding houses in the UK in the 1950s. The Irish language rap group Kneecap drew on the memory of racism in the British Empire ahead of Mo Chara’s court date, making its position clear: this trial is about imperialism.

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, better known by his stage name, Mo Chara, which translates as “my friend,” appeared in court on Wednesday facing charges for his alleged support of a proscribed terrorist organization under British law.

The terrorism charges relate to a concert in north London back on November 21, 2024, when Ó hAnnaidh held a Hezbollah flag and told the crowd: “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah.”

Hundreds turned up in front of the court before the morning hearing following calls from antiwar and pro-Palestine campaigners.

The trial opened with the prosecution’s lawyer, Michael Bisgrove, claiming the terror charges have nothing to do with the Belfast rapper’s loudly spoken positions on Palestine.

“This is not about his support for the people of Palestine nor his criticism of Israel,” he said. “The allegation in this case is a wholly different thing. This is about his support of Mr O’Hanna for the proscribed organization.”

But Kneecap and the protesters at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in central London thought otherwise. Many called the terror charges a “witch hunt” against any musician who dares to call out Britain’s involvement in the continuing genocide in Gaza.

The twenty-seven-year-old musician sat in the defense table and identified himself to the judge using an anglicized version of his name, Liam O’Hanna.

He was represented by a team of high-profile lawyers. Among them was Gareth Peirce, who defended WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange against extradition to the United States, as well as Brenda Campbell KC, who represented families after the Hillsborough disaster in which ninety-seven football fans died in a crush.

His legal team also included Darragh Mackin, who had already represented Kneecap in a discrimination case against Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch when she withdrew an arts grant from the group.

Before the court even got into the meat of the argument, his lawyers argued that the magistrate should dismiss the case entirely, claiming the police charged him after the six-month legal limit for the alleged offense.

After a brief back and forth between Bisgrove and the defense, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring decided the timeline will be discussed at a later date, during a new hearing on August 20.

Although he was given unconditional bail, Ó hAnnaidh was told he must attend the next court date or he could be hit with an arrest warrant.

This means that after much speculation, Kneecap will be allowed to perform at Glastonbury, their biggest gig after Coachella, where they were treated to harsh media criticism over projecting in giant letters “Fuck Israel. Free Palestine” onto massive screens behind the stage.

Kneecap rose to global prominence after the semi-autobiographical movie by the same name came out last year.

In the trial, Mo Chara was asked if he would need an interpreter for the next hearing after the judge admitted he was unable to find one for Wednesday’s hearing.

His legal team asked that an Irish translator be present at the next trial.

The judge responded by asking the defense if they could help find a translator, saying: “If you know of an English to Irish interpreter, then please let us know. “To be blunt, we could not find one [for Wednesday’s hearing].”

At that moment, the entire courtroom turned in their seats to look at DJ Próvaí, also known as J. J. Ó Dochartaigh, who plays the Irish language interpreter police hire to translate for Mo Chara’s character in the film.

Outside the courtroom, spilling out onto and blocking traffic on the busy Marylebone Road, masses of pro-Palestine protesters gathered around Westminster Magistrates’ Court calling for the charges to be dropped.

Live performances of Irish folk music served as the instrumental to constant chants of “Free Mo Chara, Free Palestine!”

Wearing a keffiyeh and sunglasses, Ó hAnnaidh walked out of Westminster Magistrates’ Court directly onto a makeshift stage and told the crowd: “For anybody going to Glastonbury, you can see us there. If you can’t be there, we’ll be on the BBC. If anybody watches the BBC.”

An organizer for the activist group Love Music Hate Racism, twenty-five-year-old Samira Ali, told Jacobin:

We’re trying to get artists to speak up, but we know they are scared to. Kneecap proves what happens when you do

What’s happening with Liam and Kneecap is a political decision by the British establishment and the British government to shut up a band that takes every opportunity to speak up for Palestine. Every time they have a platform, every time they’re on stage, they speak against the government’s complicity in what’s happening in Gaza.

We’ve seen the use of terror charges before. It’s just a way to crack down on what has been a huge movement for Palestine. There are thousands of people here today standing in solidarity with Kneecap. And every time the state comes for them, the whole music industry shows up.

She added: “If you see any of Kneecap’s shows, you’re watching the entire audience get radicalized. They aren’t just saying ‘Free Palestine,’ they’re calling out specifically what this government is doing.”

But the terror charges are not unique to Kneecap, activists in all sectors have also been subject to similar police investigations. Twenty-one-year-old student Sarah Cotte was hit with terror charges as well following a speech she gave in front of SOAS University in London.

Standing in solidarity with Kneecap on Wednesday, she described the almost identical charges against her for her alleged support of Hamas.

She told Jacobin of her arrest, a full four months after her SOAS speech was posted on social media, when police barged into her home, arrested her, and held her for eight hours. “We are far from the only ones being treated this way. There are countless others facing similar charges,” she said.

I was arrested under the Terrorism Act, which makes the expression of support for proscribed terrorist organisations. But really, I was arrested for a speech I gave in which I offered support to the Palestinian resistance.

For defending the right of people to resist, my flat was raided, I was arrested in my home and charged. When terrorism powers are being used by the state, that’s a signal to the police they can do whatever they want.

Originally from France, Cotte explained that she can’t leave the UK until charges against her have been heard in court.

“I’ve not been allowed to leave the country. That’s one of my bail conditions. And I’m not British, I haven’t seen my family in a while. I’m afraid this will follow me. This could affect my visa. And honestly it could affect much more in my life,” she said.

Present at the closed trial alongside DJ Próvaí was the third Kneecap member, Móglaí Bap, also known as Naoise Ó Caireallain, along with their family and friends.

The group took to social media after the hearing writing: “Easy peasy. . . . They’re already on their back foot.”