Irish language band Kneecap banned from getting into Canada over terror fees

[ad_1] Canada has banned Irish language band Kneecap from getting into the nation, saying the group has "made statements which are opposite to Canadian values" that "have brought about deep alarm".

The hip-hop trio was as a result of carry out in Toronto at two reveals in October, and at two others in Vancouver.

Canadian officers cited terror offence fees introduced in opposition to one member of the group, Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, within the UK in Might, after he allegedly displayed a flag in help of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah - which the UK considers a terrorist organisation - at a London gig final 12 months.

The 27-year-old denies the fees, with Kneecap calling the Canadian ban "deeply malicious" and threatening authorized motion.

Saying the ban on Monday, Canadian Liberal MP and Parliamentary Secretary for Combating Crime Vince Gasparro stated in a video on X the group has "amplified political violence and publicly displayed help for terrorist organisations resembling Hezbollah and Hamas."

"These will not be expressions of artwork or reliable political critique," Gasparro stated. "They're harmful endorsements of violence and hate."

The group responded to Gasparro in a publish on X, writing that his statements are "wholly unfaithful and deeply malicious".

"We now have at this time instructed our legal professionals to provoke authorized motion in opposition to you," the group stated.

The ban was welcomed by the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs in Canada. "The federal authorities made the best resolution," stated CEO Noah Shack, including that "incitement, hate and radicalisation don't have any place on this nation".

Mr Ó hAnnaidh had beforehand dismissed the UK fees in opposition to him as a "political" case supposed to silence Kneecap over its pro-Palestinian advocacy.

"We all know this story is extra than simply about me and greater than Kneecap – it is a story about Palestine and us as a distraction from the actual story," he advised a gathered crowd in London in August following his first court docket look.

A choice over whether or not he would stand trial for the UK fees has been delayed, with the chief Justice of the Peace saying he would decide on 26 September.

In August, Kneecap introduced it was cancelling its US tour, citing Mr Ó hAnnaidh's authorized battle. The group was as a result of carry out 15 reveals in main American cities in October.

On the time, the band stated its 4 Canadian reveals in Vancouver and Toronto - to be performed in entrance of as much as roughly 7,500 followers - would nonetheless go forward.

The group, initially from Belfast, was dropped by its US reserving agent in April after a present at Coachella the place they displayed messages that learn "Israel is committing genocide in opposition to the Palestinian individuals" and "F**okay Israel, Free Palestine."

Its members have additionally come beneath fireplace for his or her efficiency in Glastonbury in June, with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying he didn't assume the looks could be "applicable".

The group was shaped in 2017 by three musicians who go by the stage names of Mo Chara (the alias utilized by Mr Ó hAnnaidh), Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí.

Their rise to fame impressed a semi-fictionalised film starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender, which gained a British Academy of Movie Award (Bafta) in February.