The Canadian Immigration Department has confirmed that only one member of the Irish hip-hop group Kneecap has been prohibited from entering Canada, despite previous claims by a Liberal MP that all members would be barred. This marks the first public response from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regarding the trio since Vince Gasparro, parliamentary secretary for combating crime, announced on social media two months ago that the group was deemed ineligible for entry due to alleged ties to organizations on Canada’s list of terrorist entities, including Hezbollah and Hamas.
Following Gasparro’s statement, Immigration Minister Lena Diab and other government officials refrained from discussing individual immigration cases citing privacy concerns. However, the IRCC recently provided an update after each band member consented to disclose their immigration statuses to CBC News. According to IRCC, all three members had obtained electronic travel authorizations (eTAs) to visit Canada, with one member, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, having his eTA canceled in August due to providing incomplete and inaccurate information on his application. This action came as Ó hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, faced a terror-related charge in the UK for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a concert in November 2024, a case that was dismissed by a London court in September.
The status of the other two band members, James John O Dochartaigh and Naoise O Caireallain, remains under review by IRCC, and they have been advised not to travel to Canada until further communication is received. Kneecap had plans to perform in Toronto and Vancouver in October but had to cancel due to the immigration issues. The band’s manager, Dan Lambert, revealed that besides the video message from Gasparro, they had not been directly informed by any government authority about their immigration status, refuting the claim of incomplete information in Ó hAnnaidh’s eTA being linked to the UK court case.
In summary, the IRCC clarified the situation surrounding Kneecap’s entry into Canada, with one member banned, one under review, and the third awaiting further communication from the authorities before making any travel plans to the country.