The Canadian Immigration Department has confirmed that only one member of the Irish hip-hop group Kneecap has been barred from entering the country, contrary to an earlier statement by a Liberal MP. This is the first time that Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has addressed the situation publicly since Vince Gasparro, the parliamentary secretary for combatting crime, announced via social media two months ago that the band members were ineligible to enter Canada due to their alleged support for organizations on Canada’s list of banned groups, Hezbollah and Hamas.
Following the online video by Gasparro, Immigration Minister Lena Diab and other government officials refrained from discussing individual immigration cases citing privacy concerns. However, an update was provided by IRCC after each band member consented to disclose their immigration statuses to CBC News.
The IRCC revealed that all three band members had initially obtained electronic travel authorizations (eTAs) to visit Canada, with one member, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, having his eTA revoked in August for failing to provide complete and accurate information on his application. This action was taken as Ó hAnnaidh, also known as Mo Chara, was facing a terrorism charge in the UK for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag during a concert in 2024, a case that was later dismissed by a London court.
The immigration status of the other two members, James John O Dochartaigh and Naoise O Caireallain, remains under review, and they were advised in September not to travel to Canada until further communication from IRCC. Kneecap had to cancel their scheduled performances in Toronto and Vancouver in October, following the uncertainty surrounding the immigration status of the band members.
In response to the ban, the band’s manager, Dan Lambert, mentioned that apart from the video by Gasparro, they had not received any official communication regarding their travel restrictions from any government authority. Lambert also refuted the claim that incomplete information on Ó hAnnaidh’s eTA was linked to the dismissed legal case, arguing that the application was submitted prior to the legal proceedings.