Kneecap plan legal action against Canadian MP

Kneecap have announced plans to take legal action against Canadian MP Vince Gasparro after he accused them of promoting “dangerous endorsements of violence and hate.”

The Irish rap trio, who had been scheduled to perform in Toronto and Vancouver this October, were blocked from entering Canada following Gasparro’s claims that they were encouraging “political violence” and showing “public support for terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas.”

In a statement shared on X, Gasparro said: “Recently, the rap group Kneecap has engaged in actions and made statements that run against Canadian values and laws, which has caused deep concern for our government.

“The group has encouraged political violence and openly expressed support for terrorist organisations including Hezbollah and Hamas.

“These are not examples of artistic expression or fair political criticism, they are harmful endorsements of violence and hate. Importantly, one member of the group is currently facing terrorism-related charges in the United Kingdom.

“Criticizing foreign governments is protected under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms, but promoting political violence, praising terrorist groups, and showing hate symbols that directly target the Jewish community are not forms of protected expression and will not be tolerated by our government.

“That is why, in my role as parliamentary secretary for combating crime, I am announcing that as of today, the members of Kneecap are not permitted to enter Canada.”

The group, made up of Naoise Ó Cairealláin, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh and JJ Ó Dochartaigh, strongly rejected those accusations and pledged to pursue legal action over what they called “wholly untrue and deeply malicious” remarks.

In a statement posted on Instagram, they responded: “Your comments about us are completely false and deeply malicious. We will not accept them.

“No member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of any crime in any country.

“While you attempt to paint us as antisemitic, the Times newspaper in England today described our headline show in London as ‘emphatically anti-sectarian.’

“We have now instructed our legal team to begin action against you.

“We will fight back against these baseless claims that are being used to silence our opposition to what we see as a genocide carried out by Israel.

“When we win in court, and we will, every cent will be donated to support some of the thousands of children in Gaza who have lost limbs.”