Kneecap are taking legal action against Canadian MP Vince Gasparro who accused them of “dangerous endorsements of violence and hate”.
The Irish group – who were due to perform in Toronto and Vancouver in October were banned from entering Canada after Gasparro accused them of amplifying “political violence and publicly [displaying ] support for terrorist [groups] such as Hezbollah and Hamas”.
He added on X: “As parliamentary secretary for combating crime, I am announcing that, effective immediately, the members of Kneecap have been deemed ineligible to enter Canada.”
This week it was revealed in new documents that the office of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was “not involved in the decision” for Gasparro to make the announcement.
Kneecap shared on Instagram: “A message to Vince Gasparro:
“In September we said you made comments about us that were wholly untrue and deeply malicious. You did.
“It now transpires you also lied by telling the world you were acting on behalf of the Government of Canada’. This was another lie. You were not.
“Your own government has made this clear.
“Today we are serving legal action against you. As we said, we will be relentless in defending ourselves against outrageous and baseless accusations.
“Vince. When we beat you in court, which we will, we will donate every cent of your money to assist the thousands of child amputees in Gaza.
“Finally to our many fans in Canada we are working to resolve the ‘compliance issues’ that have been communicated by your IRCC.
“We look forward to visiting Canada again in 2026 and playing to sold out shows across your land as we have done so in the past.
“FREE PALESTINE.”