LONDON - A member of provocative Northern Irish rap group Kneecap was due back in a UK court Friday seeking to dismiss a terrorism charge for alleged support of Hezbollah.
Liam O'Hanna, 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 10am 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.
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.