During the first weekend of Coachella 2025, Irish rap trio Kneecap led “Free Palestine” and anti-Margaret Thatcher chants that were cut from the official livestream. On Friday, April 18th, the group returned for weekend two and doubled down by displaying, “Fuck Israel, free Palestine” on the screens behind them.
Following criticism from Jewish groups directed at festival organizer Goldenvoice for the band’s actions, The Hollywood Reporter has published a report claiming CEO Paul Tollett was “blindsided” by the incident.
It’s worth noting that sets at the Sonora tent were not livestreamed via Coachella’s official channels during weekend two, but Kneecap brought out streamer Hasan Piker to broadcast their protest on Twitch. “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” another message read on their stage screens. “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes.”
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Mo Chara also paused Kneecap’s performance for a brief speech. “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,” he said. “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?” he added, before leading a “Free, free Palestine” chant.
In response to Kneecap’s performance, the pro-Israel nonprofit Creative Community for Peace shared a statement from executive director Ari Ingel: “Festivals such as Coachella are meant to bring people together to celebrate music and life, instead they allowed the festival to devolve into a forum of hate — platforming a band that praised a terrorist group that carried out the largest massacre in music history. At a time of record levels of antisemitism, it is outrageous that AEG and Goldenvoice allowed this to happen.”
Disturbed lead vocalist David Draiman, who is Jewish, responded to Kneecap on social media. “Here’s some uncensored messaging for you pathetic, virtue signaling morons,” he wrote, alongside a photo of him holding up a middle finger. “Am Yisrael Chai sweethearts.”
Kneecap have consistently stood with Palestine through numerous social media statements and actions like boycotting SXSW 2024 after they learned the US Army and a defense contractor that has supplied weapons to Israel were sponsoring the festival.
More recently, they condemned Israel for breaking the Gaza ceasefire and cited the attack on No Other Land director Hamdan Ballal by Israeli settlers as the latest instance of a “total and brutal occupation on every level imaginable.” They added, “FUCK US-BACKED ISRAEL.”
Some uncensored messaging to Coachella 🤝🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/WbHZBrCZl5
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) April 19, 2025
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