Liam 脫g 脫 hAnnaidh, a.k.a. Mo Chara, second right, a member of the Irish language band Kneecap, speaks to supporters as he departs Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Joanna Chan)
AGOTTAWA - The Carney government is barring the Belfast rap group Kneecap from entering Canada, saying the group has endorsed political violence and terrorism.
Jewish groups asked Ottawa in June to ban the group, along with the English punk-rap duo Bob Vylan, over comments they argued served to incite antisemitism.
Liberal MP Vince Gasparro, parliamentary secretary for combating crime, says Kneecap has "publicly displayed support for terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas" that goes beyond artistic expression.
"Canada stands firmly against hate speech, incitement to violence and the glorification of terrorism," Gasparro said in his video.聽
"Political debate and free speech are vital to our democracy, but open endorsements of terrorist groups are not free speech."
His announcement, made in a video posted this morning to social media, did not mention Bob Vylan.
Kneecap responded in an Instagram post, saying that Gasparro's comments are "wholly untrue and deeply malicious."
"We have today instructed our lawyers to initiate legal action against you," the band's statement said.聽
"We will be relentless in defending ourselves against baseless accusation to silence our opposition to a genocide being committed by Israel."
Kneecap was scheduled to perform next month in Toronto and Vancouver.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs says the decision is a stand against "incitement, hate and radicalization," while B鈥檔ai Brith is declaring "victory."
This report by 国产诱惑福利 was first published Sept. 19, 2025.
Note to readers:This story has been updated to clarify that the band is from Belfast.
国产诱惑福利. All rights reserved.
Get the latest from 国产诱惑福利 News in your inbox. Select the emails you're interested in below.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Tax: | |
| Today's total: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
