London police arrest man at Mo Chara hearing for allegedly supporting Palestine Action

A man has been arrested outside KNEECAP member Mo Chara's hearing yesterday afternoon over alleged support for Palestine Action, which the suspect denied.

Metropolitan Police detained the man outside Westminster Magistrates’ Court shortly after KNEECAP completed their speeches to attending supporters, on account of a placard he was holding. The man told nearby reporters and fellow demonstrators his handmade sign made no reference to any proscribed groups.

A Met Police spokesperson confirmed he remains in custody "on suspicion of supporting a proscribed terrorist group, Palestine Action."

In a post on X this morning, a Belfast Telegraph reporter identified the man as Arul Joseph from London and said he was interviewed at the demonstration prior to the hearing.

The reporter shared a photo of Joseph with the placard, which read, "If you're looking at Palestine and think there should be no action, you're on the wrong side of genocide."

It's come to my attention that this was the man who was arrested yesterday over support for Palestine Action outside Westminster Magistrates Court, at around 1pm

I interviewed him at about 8.30am

This was the sign he was detained for #kneecap #mochara pic.twitter.com/4gUFxCoUXF

— Niamh Campbell (@niamh_journo) August 21, 2025

The arrest came after over 500 protesters were arrested on the same charges in London's Parliament Square earlier this month for demonstrating with signs reading, "I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action."

Reactions on social media called Joseph's arrest "unbelievable" and "petty" on the part of Met Police. "The Labour Party has lost its mind if it thinks this won’t hurt it severely," said one user, referring to the Labour majority Parliament which voted to proscribe the group.

The United Nations criticised the decision to proscribe Palestine Action, arguing acts of protest without intention to harm people should not be treated as terrorism according to international standards.

The UN expressed concerns that proscription could cause individuals to be prosecuted "for peacefully exercising their rights," adding that it would have a "chilling effect" on advocacy for human rights in Palestine.

In his interview with Belfast Telegraph, Joseph said he joined the demonstration to show support for Mo Chara. Dressed in a KNEECAP t-shirt, he spoke about being introduced to the band by his partner who is from the North of Ireland and attending a past gig.

"I love their music, I love their attitude and I love the fact that they want a free Palestine," said Joseph in the interview, adding the band is "hugely popular" outside of Ireland.

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, aka Mo Chara, was charged with terrorism for allegedly holding a Hezbollah flag at a November 2024 concert. The band said the flag was thrown on stage and denied supporting Hezbollah.

They argued that the charges are politically motivated for their criticism of Israel's occupation of Gaza and of British presence in Ireland.

When asked what he thought of the charges, Joseph said, "It's just indicative of the richest government being on the wrong side of history at the moment, not supporting the Palestinian people in the genocide and supporting Israel."

Mo Chara's hearing concluded with judgment reserved. The next court date is set for September 26, where the judge will give a ruling as to whether a plea is required and if a full trial is to go ahead.