Canada bars Irish rap band Kneecap from entering

Canada said Friday it will bar entry to the Irish rap band Kneecap, accusing it of supporting groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

"The group have amplified political violence and publicly displayed support for terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas," Parliamentary Secretary for Combating Crime Vince Gasparro said in a video message on X. 

"They are dangerous endorsements of violence and hate," he said.

"The members of Kneecap have been deemed ineligible to enter Canada."

The band had been due to perform in Canada next month.

Kneecap emerged this summer as one of the most controversial groups in the music business, with gigs cancelled and the rappers barred from other countries over their strident pro-Palestinian stance.

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Group member Liam O'Hanna, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara, has been charged with a terrorism offense after he allegedly brandished a banned flag of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah at a London concert.

He is also alleged to have said "Up Hamas, up Hezbollah" at the gig in November 2024, referring to the two Iran-funded anti-Israel militant groups.

"Our government will not tolerate the advocating of political violence, terrorism or Anti-Semitism and hate more broadly," Gasparro wrote.

In messages posted on social media, Kneecap said Gasparro's comments were "wholly untrue and deeply malicious," adding that it planned to file suit against him.

"We will be relentless in defending ourselves against baseless accusations to silence our opposition to a genocide being committed by Israel," the band said.

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