Overview

• After roughly three hours of legal argument, Judge Paul Goldspring adjourned the case to 26 September and maintained Mo Chara’s unconditional bail.
• Prosecutors allege he displayed a Hezbollah flag and shouted support for Hamas and Hezbollah during a 21 November 2024 concert at London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town.
• The defense says the Crown Prosecution Service filed the charge a day outside the six-month limit and without required sign-off, a contention the judge said could remove his jurisdiction if upheld.
• Hundreds of supporters gathered outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court, waving Irish and Palestinian flags, as police reinforced security around the building.
• Hezbollah and Hamas are banned in the UK, and expressions of support are criminal offenses, a backdrop to ongoing disputes over artistic expression and festival access involving the group.