Kneecap have been banned from entering Canada, according to a recent statement shared by Toronto MP Vince Gasparro.
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, last Friday (September 19), Gasparro, who serves as the parliamentary secretary to Ontario’s secretary of state for combatting crime, said the government considers Kneecap “ineligible to enter our country”. The trio had been due to play four shows in the country next month, with two of those set to take place in Toronto, and the other two in Vancouver.
Gasparro added: “The group have amplified political violence and publicly displayed support for terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas.”
In response to Gasparro’s words, the Irish trio said, via Instagram, they had instructed their lawyers to initiate legal action against the MP, and described his comments as “wholly untrue and deeply malicious”.
They continued: “We will be relentless in defending ourselves against baseless accusations to silence our opposition to a genocide being committed by Israel. When we beat you in court, which we will, we will donate every cent to assist some of the thousands of child amputees in Gaza.
“We have played in Canada many times with zero issues and a message of solidarity and love. We are sorry we cannot be with you next month, but we will not be silenced and will always oppose genocide.”
Kneecap’s ban from Canada follows similar action taken by the Hungarian government earlier this year, which forced the to cancel a scheduled gig at Budapest’s Sziget festival.
In August, group member Mo Chara, AKA Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, appeared in a London court on a terrorism-related charge after prosecutors alleged he waved a Hezbollah flag during a November 2024 show. The trial is set to get fully underway on September 26.
Last month, Kneecap confirmed that they were cancelling a 15-date tour of the US, citing the shows’ close timing to Chara’s court appearance.
