"We will be relentless in defending ourselves against outrageous and baseless accusations"
By Victoria Luxford 28th November 2025
Kneecap's Mo Chara and Móglaí Bap perform at Glastonbury 2025. Credit: Andy Ford for NME
Kneecap have announced they are serving legal action against Vince Gasparro, the politician who acted to ban them from Canada.
- READ MORE: Kneecap live in London: a Keir Starmer-baiting Wembley invasion
The Irish rap trio were banned from entering the country in September, with Canadian officials saying they had “made statements that are contrary to Canadian values” that “caused deep alarm”.
AdvertisementDuring the announcement, Canadian Liberal MP and Parliamentary Secretary for Combating Crime Vince Gasparro said that Kneecap had “amplified political violence and publicly displayed support for terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas.”
“These are not expressions of art or legitimate political critique,” Gasparro said. “They are dangerous endorsements of violence and hate.” It was said that the ban had been announced “on behalf” of the Canadian government.
On September 19, the group responded on Instagram, with a statement that read: “We have today instructed our lawyers to initiate legal action against you. We will be relentless in defending ourselves against baseless accusations to silence our opposition to a genocide being committed by Israel.”
This Monday (November 24), new documents stated that the office of Canadian PM Mark Carney was “not involved in the decision” for Gasparro to make the announcement (via BBC News).
RecommendedThe CBSA also claimed that it was not “implicated in the authorisation of the announcement”. The agency said it did not “provide advice”, nor were they “consulted” about the announcement.
Furthermore, the report said that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said that, in August 2025, Mo Chara – real name Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh’s “electronic travel authorisation was cancelled for inadmissibility for omitting to disclose complete and accurate information on his application”, contradicting Gasparro’s statement.
It continued: “The applicant was notified of the reasons for this decision. He remains eligible to submit a new application, which will be assessed on its own merits. Inadmissibility for non-compliance generally ends once a client is no longer in a state of non-compliance.”
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In response, Kneecap have now furthered their promise to take legal action on the politician. A statement on the group’s Instagram account read:
“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.”
- READ MORE: Kneecap on the cover – giving peace, protest and partying a chance
In April, Kneecap rapper Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence for allegedly displaying a Hezbollah flag and shouting “up Hamas, up Hezbollah” at a gig in London last November. The case was thrown out on a technicality in September, shortly after the Canada ban was announced. Following the judgment, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed it would appeal the decision to dismiss the case.
Kneecap consistently denied supporting either Hamas or Hezbollah, and have said they do not incite or condone violence.
Kneecap are currently on a UK tour. On November 24, they announced their biggest headline show yet, taking at London’s Crystal Palace Park on June 27, 2026. They’ve also confirmed slots at Primavera Sound Barcelona, Primavera Sound Porto, and Boomtown.
Earlier this month, they released a new single featuring Sub Focus, titled ‘No Comment’, which is “all about getting harassed by the British State”.
