Canada has deemed the Irish rap group Kneecap "ineligible" to enter the country. The group is known on social media for their support of Palestine. This comes after the group has "amplified political violence and publicly displayed support for terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas," stated Vince Gasparro, Parliamentary Secretary to the Secretary of State (Combating Crime), on X."Canada stands firmly against hate speech, incitements to violence, and the glorification of terrorism." "Political debate and free speech are vital to our democracy.""But open endorsements of terrorist groups are not free speech," Gasparro said..One of the group members, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, had been previously charged under the UK's Terrorism Act, for allegedly waving a Hezbollah yellow flag during a Kneecap gig in London back in 2024, according to ABC news. He allegedly said, "Up Hamas, up Hezbollah" during the concert.Kneecap had previously claimed the flag had been thrown onto stage.BBC reports the decision over whether the member will stand trial for the charges has been delayed until September 26. .Kneecap have issued a response on X, directly addressed Gasparro, "Your comments about us are wholly untrue and deeply malicious.""No member of Kneecap has been convicted of any crime in any country ever."They also told Gasparro "We have today instructed our lawyers to initiate legal action against you.""We will be relentless in defending ourselves against baseless accusations to silence our opposition to a genocide being committed by Israel," they stated. .Kneecap also previously announced in August they would be canceling their US concerts in October.
