The Canadian Prime Minister’s office and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) have claimed that they were not “involved” in banning Kneecap from the country.
The Irish rap trio were banned from entering Canada in September, with Canadian officials saying they had “made statements that are contrary to Canadian values” that “caused deep alarm”.
When announcing the ban, Canadian Liberal MP and Parliamentary Secretary for Combating Crime Vince Gasparro said that Kneecap had “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 said. “They are dangerous endorsements of violence and hate.” It was said that the ban had been announced “on behalf” of the Canadian government.
This Monday (November 24), however, new documents stated that the office of Canadian PM Mark Carney was “not involved in the decision” for Gasparro to make the announcement (via BBC News).
The CBSA also claimed that it was not “implicated in the authorisation of the announcement”. The agency said it did not “provide advice”, and wasn’t “consulted” about the announcement.
Kneecap rapper Mo Chara – real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh – was charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag and shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” at a gig in London last November. The case was thrown out on a technicality in September, shortly after the Canada ban was announced. Following the judgment being passed, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed it would appeal the decision to dismiss the case.
Kneecap consistently denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah throughout, and have said they do not incite or condone violence.
However, the band are currently not allowed to enter Canada – though it does not appear to be for the reasons cited by Gasparro in his announcement.
The Department of Citizenship and Immigration reportedly responded to a query, saying there were compliance issues surrounding Ó hAnnaidh’s application.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said that, in August 2025, Ó hAnnaidh’s “electronic travel authorisation was cancelled for inadmissibility for omitting to disclose complete and accurate information on his application”.
It continued: “The applicant was notified of the reasons for this decision. He remains eligible to submit a new application, which will be assessed on its own merits. Inadmissibility for non-compliance generally ends once a client is no longer in a state of non-compliance.”
It is said that applications for Kneecap’s other two members (Naoise Ó Cairealláin and JJ Ó Dochartaigh) are “currently under review”.
“In September 2025, they were informed not to travel to Canada until receiving further communication from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada,” the IRCC added.
Kneecap had been due to perform in Toronto and Vancouver last month, but were forced to cancel the dates. A Jewish organisation in Canada had been pushing for the government to deny them entry since June. In August, Kneecap axed their scheduled US tour due to the “close proximity” of Ó hAnnaidh’s final court hearing.
Gasparro said in September: “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.”
The trio responded by saying that his statements were “wholly untrue and deeply malicious”, while threatening legal action.
“We have today instructed our lawyers to initiate legal action against you,” the group said. “We will be relentless in defending ourselves against baseless accusations to silence our opposition to a genocide being committed by Israel.
“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.”
They also shared a message to their fans in Canada, saying, “We have played in Canada many times with zero issues and a message of solidarity and love.
“We are sorry we cannot be with you next month but we will not be silenced and will always oppose genocide. Use your voices in Canada – stand up and speak out.”
Last month, Kneecap responded to the CPS’s plans to appeal the decision to throw out the terror charge. “This is political policing,” they said. “[…] We will fight you in your court again. We will win again.”
Ó hAnnaidh had previously said he was considering taking legal action himself against the British state.
Kneecap are currently out on a UK tour. Earlier this week, they announced their biggest headline show yet, set to take place at London’s Crystal Palace Park next summer. They’ve also confirmed slots at Primavera Sound Barcelona, Primavera Sound Porto, and Boomtown.
They recently released a new single featuring Sub Focus, ‘No Comment’, which is “all about getting harassed by the British State”.
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