endorsing political violence and terrorism by supporting groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. Kneecap has emerged as one of the most controversial groups in the music business, with gigs cancelled and the rappers barred from other countries over their strident pro-Palestinian stance.

Vince Gasparro, a Liberal member of the Canadian parliament and parliamentary secretary for combating crime, on Friday said Kneecap members were deemed ineligible for entry because of actions and statements that violate Canadian law. Kneecap has “publicly displayed support for terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas” that goes beyond artistic expression, said Gasparro in a video on social media. “Canada stands firmly against hate speech, incitement to violence and the glorification of terrorism. Political debate and free speech are vital to our democracy, but open endorsements of terrorist groups are not free speech,” he said.

Canada designated both Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organisations in 2002. In response, Kneecap said Gasparro’s comments are “wholly untrue and deeply malicious” and threatened to take legal action against him. “We will be relentless in defending ourselves against baseless accusations to silence our opposition to a genocide being committed by Israel,” it said in a social media post. “There is no legal basis for his actions, no member of Kneecap has ever been convicted of a crime in any country.” (Aljazeera)