The three-man Irish hip hop band Kneecap has been banned from entering Canada ahead of their sold-out concert dates in Toronto and Vancouver planned for October. Liberal MP Vince Gasparro, the parliamentary secretary for combating crime, announced the measure in a video statement filled with lies and doublespeak on the platform X (owned by jet-setting Hitler-saluting neo-Nazi, mega billionaire Elon Musk).
Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh (Mo Chara), Naoise Ó Cairealláin (Móglaí Bap) and JJ Ó Dochartaigh (DJ Próvai) have been courageously speaking out against Israel’s Gaza genocide, which has been supported and facilitated by Canada and all the imperialist powers. Kneecap has garnered support and popularity among global audiences and fellow artists due to their courageous stand.
After their performance at the Coachella music festival in April, where they projected statements condemning the Israeli government, their weekly US streams nearly doubled. Their set in June in Glastonbury “was so popular that organizers had to shut access to the arena to stop overcrowding,” according to a New York Times article. For this reason, Kneecap has become a target for persecution by Zionist organizations, right-wing media outlets and now governments.
Canada is second on the list of countries to deny them entry after Hungary did so on July 24. The Hungarian government, whose far-right President Tamás Sulyok falsified his father’s Nazi past, has accused Kneecap of engaging in “antisemitic hate speech.”
In his extraordinary announcement, Gasparro builds his entire case against Kneecap on the Terrorism Act charge the UK government has levelled against Kneecap member Liam Óg Ó Hannaidh, which he is scheduled to fight in court in London on September 26. Equating an investigation with guilt, Gasparro accused the band of “advocating for political violence, glorifying terrorist organizations and displaying hate symbols that directly target the Jewish community.” The words “violence,” “hate” and “terrorist/terrorism” are repeated four times in the 1 minute and 40-second-long video.
Meanwhile, this is how Gasparro refers to the slaughter of well over 65,000 Palestinians and the mass starvation of hundreds of thousands:
“Let me be clear, Canada is never to be used as a platform for extremism or political violence and we will not tolerate international conflicts being used as an excuse to intimidate and harass Canadians here at home.” (more...)
Irish rap group Kneecap banned from entering Canada for speaking out against genocide
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