Kneecap returns with new single, “No Comment,” addressing the terrorism charge against member Mo Chara that was tossed out in September.
“It’s all about the police witch-hunt against Mo Chara. Free Palestine. Free the 6 counties, Fuck the peelers,” wrote the group in an Instagram post Tuesday. “We’re playing it live on our current sold out tour across Europe, Scotland, Wales and England.”
In a separate statement, per Pitchfork, Kneecap said, “No Comment” is about “getting harassed by the British state,” adding, “Simple as. Us Irish are well used to it, been happening for centuries. Was a pleasure to work with Sub Focus on this, the man is a legend.”
The case against Mo Chara — real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh — was thrown out in London court on technical grounds, with a judge ruling that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) had not filed the charge in time.
The Belfast rapper was accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag at a November 2024 Kneecap concert in London, but the police weren’t made aware of the alleged incident until April 2025, after the band sparked controversy for their criticism of Israel and the war in Gaza during their Coachella performance.
Ó hAnnaidh was later charged in May, but his lawyers sought a dismissal, arguing that the charge was brought one day after the six-month limit for such charges expired. Judge Paul Goldspring sided with the defense, calling the charge “unlawful and null.”
In early October, CPS announced that U.K. prosecutors would appeal the dismissal, with a spokesperson saying, “We are appealing the decision to dismiss this case as we believe there is an important point of law which needs to be clarified.”
In a statement shared on Instagram, Kneecap responded to news of the appeal, calling it “unsurprising,” but also a “massive waste of taxpayers money, of police time, of court time.”
“It is unsurprising because this whole process has not been driven by the police or the courts, it has been driven by politicians backed up by British media,” said the group at the time. “This is political policing. There is no ‘important point of law.’ The CPS have submitted nothing new in their appeal. What there is though, is a state wide witch-hunt against Palestinian solidarity. The media were gleefully informed about this appeal before we were.”