Kneecap React To Sharon Osbourne's Call To Revoke Their US Visas Over Coachella Set

Kneecap musicians Mo Chara and Moglai Bap performing at Coachella earlier this monthKneecap have brushed off comments made by Sharon Osbourne questioning whether their US work visa should be revoked in light of their performance at Coachella last week.The West Belfast trio performed their second set at Coachella on Friday night, where they made headlines for vocalising their support for Palestine amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza during their set.Since then, former X Factor judge Sharon has shared her disapproval that Coachella has become “a stage for political discourse” in light of performances by both Kneecap and the event’s headliners Green Day.Here’s what actually went on and what the reaction from both parties has been…What happened during Kneecap’s set at Coachella 2025?The first weekend of Coachella 2025 took place between 11 and 13 April, with Kneecap performing on night one of the event.As ever, the festival’s first weekend was streamed live on YouTube, although it was later reported that certain aspects of Kneecap’s set – including comments in support of Palestine, and a chant from the group celebrating the death of Margaret Thatcher – had been cut from the feed.In a post on X, the band also claimed that a backdrop referencing the conflict in the Middle East “somehow never appeared on screens either”.Not the only thing that was cut - our messaging on the US-backed genocide in Gaza somehow never appeared on screens either.Back next Friday Coachella and it’ll be sorted 🇵🇸Grma to everyone who packed out the tent 🔥 https://t.co/R8Egq5lS9q— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 12, 2025For their second weekend, Kneecap organised their own stream of their set themselves, projecting messages like “fuck Israel, free Palestine” and acusing Israel of genocide on screen.Some uncensored messaging to Coachella 🤝🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/WbHZBrCZl5— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 19, 2025They also led the Coachella crowd in a chant of “free Palestine”, while band member Mo Chara said: “The Irish not so long ago were persecuted at the hands of the Brits, but we were never bombed from the fucking skies with nowhere to go.“The Palestinians have nowhere to go, it’s their fucking home and they’re bombing them from the skies. If you’re not calling it a genocide what the fuck are you calling it?”Green Day also made several political comments during their own headlining set, including tweaking a lyric to their hit Jesus Of Suburbia to: “Running away from pain, like the kids in Palestine.”American rock band Green Day used their Coachella headline set to show solidarity with Palestine, altering lyrics of their 2004 hit Jesus of Suburbia to reference the plight of Palestinian children pic.twitter.com/vtPWeHQcFX— The National (@TheNationalNews) April 14, 2025What did Sharon Osbourne say about Kneecap’s Coachella performance?On Tuesday morning, Sharon posted a screenshot of an article from the Israeli news organisation ILTV, accusing Kneecap of turning Coachella “into a Hamas fan club”.In a lengthy accompanying post, Sharon wrote: “Coachella 2025 will be remembered as a festival that compromised its moral and spiritual integrity. Goldenvoice, the festival organiser, facilitated this by allowing artists to use the Coachella stage as a platform for political expression.“At a time when the world is experiencing significant unrest, music should serve as an escape, not a stage for political discourse. While festivals like Coachella showcase remarkable talent from around the globe, music’s primary purpose is to unite people. It should not be a venue for promoting terrorist organisations or spreading hate.”Sharon OsbourneThe former The Talk panellist continued: “Green Day, a band I personally admire, chose to share their views on the Middle East during their Coachella performance. While I respect their right to express their opinions, such discussions would have been more appropriate at their own concert, not at a festival.“Kneecap, an Irish rap group, took their performance to a different level by incorporating aggressive political statements. Their actions included projections of anti-Israel messages and hate speech, and this band openly support terrorist organisations.“This behaviour raises concerns about the appropriateness of their participation in such a festival and further shows they are booked to play in the USA.”Read Sharon’s full post below:Coachella 2025 will be remembered as a festival that compromised its moral and spiritual integrity. Goldenvoice, the festival organizer, facilitated this by allowing artists to use the Coachella stage as a platform for political expression. At a time when the world is… pic.twitter.com/moqSVyC2hs— Sharon Osbourne (@MrsSOsbourne) April 22, 2025Coachella and its organisers, Goldenvoice, have not commented publicly on Kneecap’s set. However, anonymous “insiders” quoted in The Hollywood Reporter claimed that Goldenvoice CEO Paul Tollett was “blindsided” by the hip-hop performers’ set.HuffPost UK has contacted Coachella and Goldenvoice for comment.DJ Provai of Kneecap on stage at CoachellaHow did Kneecap respond to Sharon Osbourne’s comments about their Coachella performance?Responding to Sharon’s claim that the band “took their performance to a different level by incorporating aggressive political statements”, Kneecap told HuffPost UK: “Statements aren’t aggressive, murdering 20,000 children is though. Or executing 15 medics and burying them and their ambulances.”Prior to this, they made light of her apparent shock that a musical festival could be an avenue for political commentary in an Instagram post.In the early hours of Wednesday morning, they reshared a post from the satirical news site The Hard Times with the headline: “Sharon Osbourne Shocked to Learn Meaning of ‘War Pigs’ After Reading Lyrics for First Time”View this post on InstagramA post shared by The Hard Times (@thehardtimesnews)War Pigs is an anti-war protest song released by Black Sabbath in 1970.Sharon’s husband Ozzy Osbourne co-wrote the track, which features lyrics like: “Politicians hide themselves away, they only started the war, why should they go out to fight? They leave that role to the poor.“Time will tell on their power minds, making war just for fun, treating people just like pawns in chess, wait ’til their judgement day comes.”At the end of the song, Ozzy can be heard singing: “Day of judgement, God is calling, on their knees, the war pigs crawling.“Begging mercy for their sins, Satan laughing, spreads his wings, oh, lord, yeah…”MORE MUSIC NEWS:Serena Williams Clears Up The Controversy Around Her Super Bowl PerformanceJustin Bieber's Team Addresses Reports He's In Millions Of Dollars Of DebtHere's Why People Think Kesha Was Throwing Shade At Katy Perry With This Selfie

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