Kneecap say statements 'not aggressive' after Coachella criticism The west Belfast rap group Kneecap have hit back at a call for their US visas to be revoked after their performance at Coachella where they ended their set with pro-Palestinian messages. Writing on social media, TV personality and music manager Sharon Osbourne said the hip-hop trio "took their performance to a different level by incorporating aggressive political statements".

Kneecap returned to the Coachella stage this weekend after claiming that the pro-Palestine message they shared onstage during weekend one of the festival was cut from the official livestream. At the time, the band assured “it’ll be sorted” in time for their next set. During their Friday performance, the Irish rap group challenged censorship by conveying their message through visual graphics, though Coachella did not broadcast any performances from the Sonora tent during weekend two. At the close of their early evening set, Kneecap broadcast three screens of text, which...

The Irish rap group Kneecap continued to ignite controversy at Coachella’s second weekend by criticizing Israel for its ongoing war in Gaza and leading a “free Palestine” chant during their set. The band also projected anti-Israel messages on the Sonora tent backdrop. The projections were apparently also used during the festival’s first weekend and led to the livestream of the band’s set being cut off; on the second weekend, the Sonora tent’s sets were not livestreamed, presumably due to those messages. “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” the...