Kneecap Respond to Coachella Criticism, Address Sharon Osbourne Comments

The Irish rap group Kneecap have never shied away from politics, and their recent sets at Coachella sparked controversy after they included messages defending Palestine during their performances on both weekends. In an email to Rolling Stone, band member Mo Chara explained that Kneecap have spoken about Palestine “at every single gig since the band’s formation, long before October 2023 as the oppression and brutal occupation of Palestine has been ongoing for 77 years,” and responded to some of the criticism that’s followed.

“We believe we have an obligation to use our platform when we can to raise the issue of Palestine, and it was important for us to speak out at Coachella as the USA is the main funder and supplier of weapons to Israel as they commit genocide in Gaza,” he says. “As I said from the stage, ‘The U.S. government could stop the genocide tomorrow.’ It’s important that young Americans hear and know it.”

During its first Coachella performance, the band had planned to have several projections with pro-Palestine text on them. However, these didn’t make it onstage, and the set was cut short on Coachella’s YouTube livestream. “We only heard about it the next day and haven’t heard from anyone officially,” Mo Chara tells Rolling Stone. “It’s not surprising, large companies don’t like to hear the truth unless it suits their narrative and pocket.”

The second weekend, the projections read, “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” followed by, “It is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes.” A final screen said, “Fuck Israel. Free Palestine.” At the end, the crowd launched into a “Free Palestine” chant. “This is something that happens at all of our gigs from Spain to Scotland and Ireland to Iceland because people know what’s happening is wrong and are angry about it,” Mo Chara writes. “The crowd chanting ‘Free Palestine’ at Coachella was a message of solidarity to the people of Gaza from regular Americans who want to see an end to the genocide, despite their government’s arming and funding Israel.”

The performance ignited major backlash, with organizations and public figures alike speaking out and describing the set as anti-Israel. (“Israel has murdered over 52,000 Palestinians in Gaza in the last 18 months, mostly women and children,” Mo Chara writes. “They have obliterated much of the Gaza Strip with U.S.-supplied weapons and are currently starving over 2 million Gazans. People can make their own decisions about whether our message is anti-Israel, but for us, it’s about their government’s sickening actions, not ordinary people.”) 

On X, Sharon Osbourne urged people to advocate for revoking band members’ visas, saying that their projections displayed “anti-Israel messages and hate speech” and that they “openly support terrorist organizations.” Asked about Osbourne’s tweets, Mo Chara responded, “Her rant has so many holes in it that it hardly warrants a reply, but she should listen to ‘War Pigs’ that was written by Black Sabbath (her husband).”

Organizers of the Nova Music Festival, the site of the deadly Hamas attack that preceded Israel’s crackdown on Gaza, also invited the band to the Nova Exhibition to “experience firsthand the stories of those who were murdered, those who survived, and those who are still being held hostage.”

Mo Chara didn’t respond to questions about whether they’d accept that offer, but said simply, “There are over 10,000 Palestinians being held hostage in Israeli jails as we speak, many of them without charge or trial, including 400 children who are being held illegally under international law. As I said already, over 52,000 Palestinians have been murdered in the last 18 months, and over 2 million displaced in Gaza. Who is talking about the 30,000 innocent children who have been murdered in Gaza in the last 18 months?… Our message is about ending the genocide and ending the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine.”

He adds: “We want people to take whatever action they can to stop the genocide. People can take what they want from our music, stopping the genocide is more important.”

From Rolling Stone US.