Canada has denied entry to Irish rap group Kneecap, cancelling the trio’s planned October shows in Toronto and Vancouver.
Credit: Ticketmaster
The announcement was made on Friday by Vince Gasparro, Parliamentary Secretary for Combating Crime.
Gasparro said the decision followed advice from federal officials who determined the Belfast-based group was inadmissible under Canadian law. He accused Kneecap of endorsing political violence and expressing support for Hamas and Hezbollah. He also said the band displayed hate symbols targeting Jewish communities.
“Advocating for political violence, glorifying terrorist organizations and displaying hate symbols that directly target the Jewish community are not protected forms of expression and will not be tolerated by our government,” Gasparro said in a video posted on X.
In a statement to Canadian fans, Kneecap said they had complied with all requests from immigration authorities and accused “significant Zionist lobby groups” of spreading misinformation to influence the government. “When they realised there was no legal basis on which to stop us, they today, via Vince Gasparro, sought to maliciously misrepresent Kneecap,” the band wrote.
The trio also rejected Gasparro’s allegations directly, calling them “wholly untrue and deeply malicious.” They stressed that no member has ever been convicted of a crime and said The Times newspaper in England had recently described their London performance as “emphatically anti-sectarian.”
Kneecap said lawyers have been instructed to launch legal action against Gasparro and pledged to donate any compensation to “child amputees in Gaza.” The band added, “We will not be silenced and will always oppose genocide.”
Kneecap is made up of Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh (Mo Chara), Naoise Ó Cairealláin (Móglaí Bap) and J. J. Ó Dochartaigh (DJ Próvaí).