Niqab banned in Canada for singing in favor of Palestine

The government of the country has banned Irish hip-hop band Niqab from entering Canada. It is alleged that the band has supported organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah. They have previously faced various obstacles from the UK, US, Hungary and Norway due to their vocal stance on Palestine. Niqab was scheduled to hold concerts in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada next month.

Al-Jazeera and Arab News reported that the Canadian government has taken a tough stance against Niqab. According to the government, ‘This band has openly supported the terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah. Therefore, they have been banned from entering Canada.’

Canada’s Parliamentary Secretary for Crime Prevention and Liberal MP Vince Gasparo said in a video message published on social media,
“We stand firmly against hate speech, incitement to violence and terrorism. Political debate and freedom of expression are important to our democracy, but open support for terrorist organizations cannot be free expression.’

On the other hand, NCAP has strongly protested the ban. The band claims that their voices are being silenced because of their pro-Palestinian stance. In a statement, they said, ‘We do not support Hamas or Hezbollah, nor do we advocate violence. The allegations against us are completely false and hateful. We will continue our legal fight.’

In an Instagram post, they called Vince Gasparro’s comments ‘deeply hateful’ and announced legal action against him.

The UK’s conflict with NCAP began in 2024. Then they organized a tour called ‘Farewell to the Union’. After that, the UK government canceled their artistic grant. Although the court later declared that decision illegal.

In addition, in 2024, band member Liam O'Hannah (Mo Chara) displayed a Hezbollah flag on stage at a concert in London. He was charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act for this incident and is currently out on bail. The hearing of the case will be held on August 20.

Recently, Norway and Hungary have also imposed bans on Niqab. Last July, they were banned from entering Hungary for three years on charges of 'anti-Semitism'.

Despite facing obstacles from one country after another, Niqab has said that they will not budge from their pro-Palestinian stance.