Irish rap trio Kneecap called for a free Palestine during both weekends at Coachella, apparently “blindsiding” the festival’s organizers.
The group gave an impassioned performance at the California festival, stepping onto the Sonora Stage for both weekends. On the first weekend, the livestream to their set was abruptly cut off after they voiced their support for Palestine and led the crowd into a controversial chant centred on Margaret Thatcher – specifically, ‘Maggie’s In A Box’, to the tune of ‘Give It Up’ by KC & The Sunshine Band.
They hit back at the festival after their livestream was taken off, claiming that not only was their Thatcher chant cut, but also that their visuals were changed, writing that “our messaging on the US-backed genocide in Gaza somehow never appeared on screens either.” For the second weekend, Kneecap provided their own livestream, as fellow pro-Palestinian commentator Hasan Piker broadcast their set live on Twitch. Behind the band, statements including “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine” and “Israel is commiting genocide against the Palestinian people” were projected on a screen.
During this set, one of Kneecap’s rappers Mo Chara gave a speech to the crowd on the conflict: “The Palestinians have nowhere to go, it’s their fucking home and they’re bombing them from the skies,” he said. “If you’re not calling it a genocide what the fuck are you calling it?” Since their sets at Coachella, The Hollywood Reporter has reported that Paul Tollet, the CEO of Goldenvoice, the festival’s organizer, felt “blindsided” by the trio’s on-stage commentary.
The imagery and statements from Kneecap have also caused condemnation from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, one of America’s leading Jewish human rights organizations. The Wiesenthal Center CEO Jim Berk said on Monday: “At its best, music should bring people together and spread empathy, not hate. It’s therefore remarkable that Kneecap used a music festival to foment hate, exactly the kind of gathering where, on October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists brutally murdered, raped, burned and kidnapped innocent young people at the Nova Music Festival in Israel.”
Comment byu/Albuquerque82 from discussion inindieheads
However, the West Belfast band’s stance was praised by fans online on forums like Reddit. One user wrote that “an “Anti-Israel” message would be calling for the dissolution of the Israeli state. All they’re calling for is the end of the Palestinian genocide.”
They weren’t the only artists to use the Coachella platform to provide comments on the ongoing war. Green Day altered the lyrics of their song ‘Jesus of Suburbia’ to “running away from pain like kids from Palestine”. Amyl & The Sniffers also offered solidarity to the Palestinian people, and Senator Bernie Sanders commended Clairo for her advocacy for Palestine while introducing her set.
Kneecap have recently been confirmed for Glastonbury 2025, taking their punk-powered raps to the Shangri-La stage. You can read our writeup on that here.
