Canadian government bans KNEECAP from entry over actions and statements "contrary to Canadian values"

KNEECAP have announced they will take legal action against Canadian MP Vince Gasparro after he banned them from entering Canada.

In a video posted on X today, Gasparro announced the band would be prohibited from entering the country "effective immediately" over allegations of political violence, support for terrorist organisations and antisemitism.

"KNEECAP has engaged in actions and made statements that are contrary to Canadian values and laws," Gasparro said.

"These are not expressions of art or legitimate political critique, they are dangerous endorsements of violence and hate."

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.

Our government will not tolerate the advocating of political violence, terrorism or Anti-Semitism and hate more broadly. pic.twitter.com/3KOf84G3bZ

— Vince Gasparro (@vgasparro) September 19, 2025

KNEECAP had planned to play four gigs in Canada next month — two in Toronto and two in Vancouver — but have had to cancel due to the news.

In a statement posted this afternoon, the band condemned Gasparro's claims as "wholly untrue and deeply malicious," adding that "no member of Kneecap has been convicted of ANY crime in ANY country EVER."

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

The band announced they have instructed their lawyers to initiate legal actions against Gasparro and promised, "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 posted a statement addressed to their fans in which they explained multiple efforts had been made in the past by the Canadian government to prevent them from entering despite having legal travel documents.

"It is our view that when they realised there was no legal basis on which to stop us that they today, via Vince Gasparro, sought to maliciously misrepresent Kneecap," they said.

"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."

In July, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA), a pro-Israel advocacy organisation, appealed to the Canadian government to ban both KNEECAP and Bob Vylan from entering and performing in the country.

CIJA said their performances violated "Canadian hate speech laws" and went against Canadians' "core values." Canadian MP Anthony Housefather, who is from the same party as Gasparro, called for KNEECAP to be banned back in June.

Last month, the rap trio the cancellation of all 15 U.S. tour dates planned for October due to the timing of member Mo Chara's upcoming court appearance in London.

Mo Chara was charged with terrorism for allegedly holding a Hezbollah flag at a concert. The band said the flag was thrown on stage and argued that the charges are politically motivated for their criticism of Israel's occupation of Gaza and of British presence in Ireland.

They are set to perform a one-off livestreamed concert on October 10 in place of the cancelled U.S. shows.