Britain's double standards on 'terrorism'

In a highlight from today's pod, Seán and Laura examine the case of Mo Chara and what it reveals about the British state's double standards when it comes to defining and prosecuting terrorism.

Mo Chara, of the Irish rap trio Kneecap, is currently facing terror charges for allegedly supporting proscribed terrorist organisations Hamas and Hezbollah; an act that Seán compares to enjoying a Wolfe Tones gig just months ago (a band that's had their own controversies related to proscribed organisations). Why specifically is an Irish rapper known for his political activism being prosecuted, and why now given the various conflicts in the Middle East?

The pair take a look at the term terrorism's short but complex history, and how its meaning has shifted from describing state violence during the French Revolution to a catch-all term used to criminalise individuals resisting colonialism and occupation.

Ultimately, who gets called a terrorist and who doesn’t? Why is working-class cultural expression, particularly when it leans Republican or anti-colonial, treated as a threat while state violence and complicity in war crimes go largely unchallenged? Why are state actions in Gaza, or the UK's role in supplying arms and training to the IDF, not treated the same way under British law?

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