LONDON: Northern Irish rap group Kneecap responded to calls for their US visas to be revoked after they displayed messages during their performance at the Coachella festival in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Kneecap, consisting of Moglai Bap and Mo Chara from Belfast, along with DJ Provai from Derry, told BBC Northern Ireland on Wednesday that their “statements aren’t aggressive, murdering 20,000 children is though,” in reference to Israeli actions in Gaza since late 2023.
The band concluded their performance at Coachella’s California desert music festival last weekend by projecting three screens of pro-Palestinian messages.
The first text said: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” followed by: “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes,” while the final message said: “F*** Israel. Free Palestine.”
Since October 2023, Israeli military operations in Gaza have killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, while more than 100,000 others have been injured. On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages to Gaza.
The Irish band’s performance was not streamed on the festival’s official YouTube page, the BBC reported. During the performance, Mo Chara said: “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.”
During the second weekend of the Coachella festival, from April 17-19, the trio led the audience in chants of “free, free Palestine.”
The band is scheduled to perform at several shows in the US and Canada in the coming months. It said that almost all the concerts planned for their US tour in October have sold out.
Sharon Osbourne, a former judge on TV talent shows “The X Factor” and “America’s Got Talent,” urged US authorities to revoke Kneecap’s work visas following their performance at Coachella.
She said the band’s performance included “projections of anti-Israel messages and hate speech.
“As someone of both Irish Catholic on my mother’s side and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage on her father’s side, and extensive experience in the music industry, I understand the complexities involved,” she said.
“I urge you to join me in advocating for the revocation of Kneecap’s work visa,” Osbourne added.
Commentators on Fox News condemned and accused the group of bringing “Nazi” sentiments to America.
Kneecap criticized Fox News comments, sharing fans’ supportive messages and noting that they received thousands of endorsements compared to “hundreds of violent Zionist threats.”
US authorities have not commented on the case, and no actions have been taken regarding the band’s visas.
