Irish hip-hop group Kneecap doubled down on its criticism of Israel after being known as out by TV character Sharon Osbourne.
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap made calls to “free Palestine” and “F—k Israel” throughout a set final Friday on the Coachella music pageant. Additionally they made references to genocide and condemned the US army for its assist of Israel, in line with The Hollywood Reporter.
Kneecap additionally claimed final week that they had been censored after pushing anti-Margaret Thatcher chants and different anti-Israel sentiments throughout their first present, which was reportedly minimize off earlier than their set ended. They proceeded to double down on the identical sort of political rhetoric.
Osbourne, the spouse of rock star Ozzy Osbourne, condemned the band and the pageant that platformed them in a prolonged social media submit.
“Kneecap, an Irish rap group, took their performance to a different level by incorporating aggressive political statements,” she stated in a part of an extended submit on X. “Their actions included projections of anti-Israel messages and hate speech, and this band openly support terrorist organizations. This behavior raises concerns about the appropriateness of their participation in such a festival and further shows they are booked to play in the USA.”
She concluded her prolonged submit by declaring, “I urge you to join me in advocating for the revocation of Kneecap’s work visa.”
When BBC Information NI reached out to the band about Osbourne’s statements, Kneecap replied, “Statements aren’t aggressive, murdering 20,000 children is though.”
Kneecap’s supervisor, Daniel Lambert, spoke to Irish broadcaster RTÉ in regards to the controversy as properly, arguing, “If somebody is hurt by the truth, that’s something for them to be hurt by, but it’s really important to speak truth. Thankfully the lads are not afraid to do that.”
Lambert additionally claimed that the band has obtained demise threats after the Coachella efficiency, however stated they’re “too severe to get into.”
Fox Information Digital reached out to the administration of Kneecap, Coachella, and Coachella pageant organizer Goldenvoice and didn’t obtain quick reply.
Fox Information’ Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.
