10 days after Liberal says Kneecap barred from Canada, band has ‘no notice’
Controversial Irish hip-hop group Kneecap has still not received official notice from the Canadian government about whether they are barred from entering Canada, the band’s manager said Monday, 10 days after their apparent entry ban was announced.
“No notice on anything,” band manager Daniel Lambert told Global News in an email, “just Vince’s social media video.”
Lambert was referring to Liberal MP Vince Gasparro, the parliamentary secretary for combating crime, who posted a video to his social media on Sept. 19 saying the government has deemed Kneecap’s members ineligible to enter Canada.
“On behalf of the Government of Canada I am announcing that on the advice of our officials, we have deemed the group Kneecap ineligible to enter our country,” Gasparro said in the post.
Kneecap, which has been outspoken in its support of the Palestinian people and opposition to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, was scheduled to perform next month in Toronto and Vancouver.
Gasparro said in the video the group has endorsed political violence and terrorism, and noted one member was facing “terrorism-related charges” in the United Kingdom.
A British judge on Friday dismissed the case against Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh —also known by his stage name Mo Chara, which means “my friend” in Irish — who had been charged after waving a flag of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah during a London concert last year.
Hezbollah is a listed terrorist organization in both the U.K. and Canada.
Gasparro declined to answer questions from reporters Friday on whether Kneecap would be allowed into Canada now that the British case has been dropped.
“Look, any statement I’ve made, there’s nothing more for me to add in terms of my video,” he said. “Any further comments I’m going to leave to the officials at immigration, and they’ll manage that accordingly.”
“It’s better for me to leave it to our professional public service to manage any rollout from there, but I appreciate the questions,” Gasparro added after he was pressed.
He said his video was made and released “based on the information that was available.”
In a statement Monday, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said it cannot comment on Kneecap’s specific case due to privacy reasons and did not confirm whether a formal entry ban was put in place, or if one remains.
Irish citizens do not require a visa to visit Canada but do require an electronic travel authorization (eTA), which is applied for online and is needed when arriving by air.
In a social media message responding to Gasparro’s video, Kneecap said its members had already been issued valid electronic travel authorizations.
“Each case is assessed individually,” the IRCC spokesperson said. “Entry to Canada may be refused for a number of reasons, including concerns related to security, human or international rights violations, or criminal activity.”
Global News was included on an email chain between bureaucrats and a spokesperson for Immigration Minister Lena Diab, who instructed the department’s media relations team to add a line to its “messaging for Kneecap moving forward,” noting that “applicants are informed of their visa status through the email provided on their applications.”
The statement said anyone whose entry visa applications have been denied “can reapply for an eTA once they have addressed the reason(s) leading to the refusal of their application.”
The minister’s office declined to comment separately from the department’s statement.
A spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree’s office declined to comment Monday when asked by Global News if Gasparro consulted with the minister before his announcement.
The spokesperson said the office would “defer to IRCC” on questions regarding Kneecap’s case
Global News has also reached out to the Prime Minister’s Office for comment.
The group said Gasparro’s “baseless” allegations were “wholly untrue and deeply malicious,” adding that no member of the group had ever been convicted of a crime in any country.
The group also threatened to take legal action against him.
“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,” its statement said.
Gasparro on Friday said he’s not concerned about a possible lawsuit.
“I’ve done a lot of things in my private sector career. I have never been sued,” he said. “If they want to sue me, I look forward to it.”
In his video, Gasparro accused Kneecap of publicly supporting Hezbollah as well as Hamas, which is also a listed terrorist entity in Canada, and that “open endorsements of terrorist groups are not free speech.”
Justice Minister Sean Fraser tabled legislation the same day Gasparro released his video that would make hateful displays of certain symbols — including listed terrorist group emblems as well as the Nazi swastika — a criminal offence punishable with up to two years in prison.
Kneecap has accused critics of trying to silence the band because of its support for the Palestinian cause throughout the Israeli military’s destruction of Gaza. The band says it doesn’t support Hezbollah and Hamas, nor condone violence.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and Jewish advocacy organization B’nai Brith Canada, which had advocated for the ban, have praised the government for Gasparro’s announcement.
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