Kneecap defend Palestine protest at Coachella after Sharon Osbourne criticism

Kneecap have responded to controversy surrounding their recent Coachella performances and addressed calls from Sharon Osbourne to revoke their working visas.

The Irish hip-hop trio's sets at the California festival reportedly left organisers "blindsided" due to their political stance, which included pro-Palestine projections and crowd chants. During their first weekend performance, the livestream was cut during certain segments, leading the group to arrange their own broadcast via Twitch for weekend two, hosted by political commentator Hasan Piker.

Mo Chara from the group explained to Rolling Stone that discussing Palestine has been a consistent part of their performances. "We 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," he said.

"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," Chara continued. "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."

Addressing the livestream restrictions, Chara noted: "We only heard about it the next day and haven't heard from anyone officially. It's not surprising, large companies don't like to hear the truth unless it suits their narrative and pocket."

In response to Sharon Osbourne's criticism on social media, where she claimed the sets "compromised" the festival's "moral and spiritual integrity", Chara stated: "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."

The band's manager, Daniel Lambert, has reported that Kneecap have received death threats following their Coachella appearances, though these were described as "too severe to get into" in comments to RTÉ.