Hundreds of supporters of the rap group
kneecap gathered outside court this
morning as one of the trio appeared
before magistrates. Liam O'Hana who
performs under the stage name Moara is
accused of showing a flag in support of
Hezbollah, a prescribed terror
organization. He denies the charge and
our reporter Sam Holder is at
Westminster magistrates for us. Sam,
tell us what happened outside and inside
court today.
>> Well, let's start with outside. You can
still see there's still plenty of
protesters here. Uh there were a few
hundred this morning outside court
carrying plaqueards and waving flags in
support of ohana and kneecap. But even
before uh the hearing began, there was
controversy uh when the police announced
there would be public order conditions
on the protest, something that kneecap
described as a political decision. The
most dramatic moment was when Ohana
actually tried to enter court, flanked
by a crowd of photographers and
supporters. And it appeared that a few
demonstrators also tried to get in the
building, making it difficult for Ohana
to get in himself. Inside uh the
27year-old from Belfast wore a
Palestinian kafir or scarf in the colors
of the Irish flag. Had appeared to have
an Irish translator with him during the
hearing. inside court. There were also
his banmates there in support. Much of
the legal debate today has been about
whether due process was properly
followed by the Crown Prosecution
Service and the police uh rather than
any discussion about the actual
allegations themselves. Ohana's defense
want the case thrown out on a legal
technicality. The judge will make a
decision about whether to hear the case
next month.
>> Sam outside a busy Westminster
magistrate's court. Thank you.