Kneecap’s Coachella performance set the Internet aflame, after the Irish rap group began a pro-Palestine chant during one of their sets and platformed anti-genocide messaging. Following their set, Sharon Osbourne became the latest public figure to condemn the performance, advocating for their US work visas to be revoked. Despite this, fans have been quick to show the West Belfast musicians their support.
In a X post, former Britain’s Got Talent host Sharon Osbourne said the trio “took their performance to a different level by incorporating aggressive political statements”. She claimed that they “openly support terrorist groups”, before adding, “I urge you to join me in advocating for the revocation of Kneecap’s work visa.”
Sharon is well-known for her marriage to Ozzy Osbourne, a British singer in the rock band Black Sabbath. One of his most famous hits is War Pigs, an anti-war song, which heavily criticises the “war machine”. The song was an attack on the ruthless nature of war, which sees countless innocent people lose their lives.
Not to miss a beat, Kneecap were quick to clap back at the criticism issued online. In a post to X, they wrote: “Amongst the hundreds of violent Zionist threats there’s thousands of these [messages]”. The post contained screenshots of supportive messages from fans.
One read: “Retired Brit Military (Royal Navy) Officer in Bangor. Saw the posts about you. Free Palestine.”
The group also hit back at Sharon’s harsh condemnation. Speaking to HuffPost UK, the band said: “Statements aren’t aggressive, murdering…children is though. Or executing 15 medics and burying them and their ambulances.”
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, since 7 October 2023, over 51,000 Palestinians have been killed – more than a third of which have been children. Meanwhile, the Israeli military states that 408 of its soldiers have been killed in combat, as reported by the BBC.
This all comes after a slew of controversy surrounding the rap group’s Coachella performance. At the end of their set at the second weekend of the festival on April 19, Kneecap displayed three screens of text.
The first read: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people. This was followed by: “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes.” A final screen added: “F–k Israel. Free Palestine.”
Kneecap’s Moglai Bap then asked the crowd: “The Irish not so long ago were persecuted at the hands of the Brits, but we were never bombed from the… skies with nowhere to go. The Palestinians have nowhere to go. It’s their home, and they’re bombing it from the sky. If you’re not calling it a genocide, what are you calling it?”
He then went on to lead the crowd into a “free Palestine” chant. The performance was not streamed to Coachella’s official YouTube channel.
The trio’s actions have been harshly criticized by several notable figures, including organisers of Israel’s Nova music festival, which was the site of the October 7 attacks. They claimed that the messaging had “deeply hurt” many in their community. The Israel war on Gaza has been labelled a genocide by Amnesty International.
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