Kneecap Say They've Faced A 'Coordinated Smear Campaign' Since Performing At Coachella
"The recent attacks against us, largely emanating from the US, are based on deliberate distortions and falsehoods," Kneecap said.
Kneecap (Credit: Peadar Ó Goill)
A lot has happened for Irish rap group Kneecap since they toured Australia last month, with the band alleging that they’ve been targets of a “coordinated smear campaign.”
Earlier this month, Kneecap performed at Coachella and alleged that their pro-Palestine messaging was censored for their weekend one performance (11 April). During their weekend two performance on 18 April, the trio ramped up their pro-Palestine messaging with a display reading “Fuck Israel, free Palestine” on the screens behind them.
No sets from the Sonora stage were broadcast on the Coachella YouTube livestream this year. However, Kneecap had streamer Hasan Piker broadcast their set on Twitch.
Other messages on the screens behind the group alleged that Israel is “committing genocide” against the Palestinian people, which has been “enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel” despite their alleged war crimes.
Since their performances at the festival, Goldenvoice—the festival organiser—CEO Paul Tollett claimed he was “blindsided” by Kneecap’s political messaging, while Sharon Osbourne called for the revocation of the trio’s work visas ahead of their sold-out October 2025 tour dates.
In response to Osbourne, Kneecap’s Mo Chara said the group have consistently stood with Palestine since their formation and urged her to listen to her husband’s words on Black Sabbath’s War Pigs.
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Following their performances at Coachella and the ensuing backlash, Kneecap have claimed that they’ve been targets of a “coordinated smear campaign.”
“The recent attacks against us, largely emanating from the US, are based on deliberate distortions and falsehoods,” the trio wrote on Instagram today. “We are taking action against several of these malicious efforts.”
Their statement continued:
Let us be absolutely clear. The reason Kneecap is being targeted is simple - we are telling the truth, and our audience is growing. Those attacking us want to silence criticism of a mass slaughter. They weaponize [sic] false accusations of antisemitism to distract, confuse, and provide cover for genocide.
We do not give a f*ck what religion anyone practices. We know there are massive numbers of Jewish people outraged by this genocide just as we are. What we care about is that governments of the countries we perform in are enabling some of the most horrific crimes of our lifetimes - and we will not stay silent.
No media spin will change this.
Our only concern is the Palestinian people — the 20,000 murdered children and counting.
The young people at our gigs see through the lies.
They stand on the side of humanity and justice.
And that gives us great hope.
Kneecap
Last June, Aussie hardcore band SPEED dropped off the UK festival, Download, due to its partnership with Barclays Bank. Artists such as Enter Shikari and Tom Morello and their fans began protesting over the bank providing alleged financial services to defence companies arming Israel.
The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) launched the Boycott Barclays campaign in response to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which has seen tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians killed since Hamas attacked and killed patrons at the Israeli Nova Music Festival on 7 October 2023.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza (via Relief Web), at least 51,000 Palestinians have been killed between 7 October 2023 and 15 April 2025, with over 116,000 injured and more than 401,000 displaced.
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