When Kneecap were forced to cancel their US tour because of visa issues, the accompanying shows north of the border in Canada remained on the band’s itinerary, due to take place in Toronto and Vancouver next month.
But now the Canadian government has banned the rap trio from performing in the country because they have “publicly displayed support for terrorist organisations”. A claim which is “wholly untrue and deeply malicious”, according to Kneecap themselves.
“We have played in Canada many times with zero issues and a message of solidarity and love”, the band told their Canadian fans in a statement. But “significant Zionist lobby groups” have been pressuring Canadian politicians to block their shows because of the group’s support for Palestine.
That has involved, they allege, the spreading of “serious misinformation”. As a result, the band is planning legal action against those lobby groups and the Canadian government.
Kneecap’s on-stage support for Palestine and forthright criticism of Israel has been both commended and condemned by different groups. Their high profile set at Coachella earlier this year first prompted calls for their US visas to be revoked.
Then footage emerged of the band seemingly supporting proscribed terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah at a London gig, ultimately resulting in one band member - Mo Chara - being charged for a terror offence under UK law. That made it much easier for the band’s critics to demand that visas be revoked.
In the US, there was also the fact that the band’s booking agents, who were their visa sponsors, dropped the act following the Coachella performance. That made the subsequent cancellation of the band’s US tour very unsurprising indeed. However, it seemed like the group would still be able to perform for their Canadian fans.
But then on Friday Vince Gasparro, who is Parliamentary Secretary to Canada’s minister responsible for combatting crime, announced that, “effective immediately, the members of Kneecap have been deemed ineligible to enter Canada”.
That’s because, he claimed, “Kneecap have engaged in actions and have made statements that are contrary to Canadian values and laws that have caused deep alarm to our government”. Principally, they have “amplified political violence and publicly displayed support for terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas”.
“These are not expressions of art or legitimate political critique”, Gasparro went on. Instead they are “dangerous endorsements of violence and hate”. Which is why “one member of the band is currently facing terrorism-related charges in the United Kingdom”.
While criticism of foreign governments is protected under Canada’s Charter Of Rights And Freedoms, he explained, “advocating for political violence, glorifying terrorist organisations and displaying hate symbols that directly target the Jewish community are not protected forms of expression and will not be tolerated by our government”.
Of course Kneecap have always denied expressing support for Hamas and Hezbollah, and Mo Chara is busy fighting the terror charge through the UK courts. The band have also repeatedly argued that these claims against them are part of efforts from the pro-Israel lobby to silence them and other artists who speak out in support of Palestine, especially in the context of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
Addressing Gasparro on social media, Kneecap wrote, “Your comments about us are wholly untrue and deeply malicious. We will not accept it. No member of Kneecap has been convicted of ANY crime in ANY country EVER”.
“We have today instructed our lawyers to initiate legal action against you”, they then added, insisting, “We will be relentless in defending ourselves against baseless accusations to silence our opposition to a genocide being committed by Israel”.
The band have supporters in Canada itself, with the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association criticising the Canadian government’s “unfounded, biased and authoritarian decision to bar Irish-language rap group Kneecap from Canada”.
The organisation, which - in recent years - has been “actively confronting police departments, government ministries, elected officials and universities that have targeted protestors and supporters of Palestine”, says that the Kneecap ban is “another clear example of how Canadian governments are systematically targeting voices speaking out against genocide”.