Irish hip-hop band KNEECAP delivered anti-Israel propaganda at the Coachella Festival in California in front of a massive crowd of thousands. The hip-hop group performed at Coachella last weekend, and right from the start, a message was projected on the screen in large illuminated letters stating, "F*** Israel, Free Palestine." Additional messages followed on the screen, including "Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people" then adding "Enabled by the US government, which arms and funds Israel despite their war crimes."
Afterward, the band's vocalist, Mo Chara, told the audience, "Not long ago, the Irish people were persecuted at the hands of the Brits, but we were never bombed from the f***ing skies with nowhere to go."
Mo chara speaking to thousands of Americans at coachella.
The young people of America don't support genocide, get out on the streets and show this to that cunt Trump. 🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/fExyAn7GA6
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 19, 2025
The band's performance sparked outrage on social media due to the use of a music festival platform to promote one-sided propaganda. "Using a music festival to celebrate the terrorists who massacred thousands at a music festival. I wish you could make this shit up," a user wrote on X, while another one added, "Hypocrisy at its peak: Coachella's 'Free Palestine' chants from scantily clad, drug-fueled LGBTQ youth, flaunting freedoms they'd be brutally executed for in Palestine. Virtue signaling at its most shameless." Some users photoshopped one of the anti-Israel messages from the beginning of the show into "F*** Hamas, Free Hostages."
KNEECAP is known as a band that regularly expresses its political views. They are recognized for their anti-British sentiments and advocacy for complete Irish independence. In the past, they have repeatedly expressed their disdain for Israel. On the day of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's funeral, one of the band members was photographed reading a book compiling "Nasrallah's sayings."
Additionally, at previous performances, they have raised Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) flags and vilified Israel. KNEECAP is a hip-hop trio from Belfast, Northern Ireland, known for their strong political positions supporting the Irish Republican movement, which advocates for Irish unification and ending British involvement in its governance, as well as supporting Palestinians. In 2020, they committed to boycotting Israel.
