The Immigration Department has confirmed that only one member of the contentious Irish hip-hop group Kneecap is barred from entering Canada. This statement contradicts a Liberal MP’s assertion made in September that no members would be allowed entry, as reported by CBC News.
This marks the first public comment from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regarding the three individuals since Vince Gasparro, the parliamentary secretary responsible for combatting crime, released a social media video two months ago declaring that “effective immediately, the members of Kneecap have been deemed ineligible from entering Canada.”
Gasparro accused the band of endorsing groups listed as terrorist organizations in Canada, specifically Hezbollah and Hamas.
Immigration Minister Lena Diab previously stated she couldn’t provide comments on individual cases when asked if Kneecap members are banned from entering Canada. (Paul Poirier/CBC)
Since the release of that video, Immigration Minister Lena Diab, the IRCC, and other governmental departments have indicated they cannot discuss specific immigration cases due to privacy regulations.
Nonetheless, the IRCC issued an update after each band member signed a consent form allowing their statuses to be disclosed to CBC News.
According to the IRCC’s statement, the band members had received electronic travel authorizations (eTAs) to enter Canada in March 2024, which are valid until 2029.
It was noted that the eTA for one member, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, was revoked this past August due to “inadmissibility for failing to provide complete and accurate information on his application.”
At that time, Ó hAnnaidh, who is known by the stage name Mo Chara, was facing a terror-related charge in the United Kingdom for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a concert in November 2024.
In late September, a London court dismissed the prosecution, ruling that he had been charged too late.
The IRCC’s statement did not clarify whether the missing information in Ó hAnnaidh’s application was connected to the criminal case.
The IRCC mentioned that the applications of the other two members, James John O Dochartaigh and Naoise O Caireallain, remain “under review” and that they had been advised in September “not to travel to Canada until further notice from IRCC.”
Kneecap was slated to perform in Toronto and Vancouver in October. Earlier in August, the group announced the cancellation of 15 shows in the United States.
Kneecap member Liam O’Hanna, also known as Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh and performing under the name Mo Chara, is seen speaking to supporters outside Woolwich Crown Court on Sept. 26 after a U.K. court dismissed his terror charge. He is the only band member barred from entering Canada. (Reuters)
Band never contacted: band manager
Three days following Gasparro’s video announcement, the band’s manager, Dan Lambert, informed CBC News in an interview that Kneecap had received no directives regarding travel restrictions to Canada from anyone other than the MP.
In a subsequent statement to CBC News on Thursday, Lambert asserted that the band members had not been notified about their immigration application statuses, emphasizing that Gasparro’s video was their sole communication from the government.
Lambert further stated that the IRCC’s claim of incomplete information in Ó hAnnaidh’s eTA could not be linked to the dismissed court case, as he had submitted his application prior to the legal proceedings.