Kneecap Take Aim At Coachella For Cutting Pro-Palestine Message

Fresh off the back of their debut Australian tour, Irish hip hop outfit Kneecap have taken aim at Coachella for censoring their pro-Palestine message during the festival’s live stream.

Launching their latest US trek at the first weekend of Coachella on Friday, April 11th, the Irish trio initially made headlines after leading a chant celebrating the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

“If anybody was wondering, Margaret Thatcher’s still dead,” the group called out to fans, before leading a singalong of “Maggie’s in a box” to the tune of Give It Up by KC & The Sunshine Band.

Of course, while Thatcher’s death isn’t exactly topical (she passed away in 2013 at the age of 87), Kneecap have been widely outspoken about the controversial PM’s conservative policies and her attitudes toward Northern Ireland.

Notably, the Coachella livestream reportedly cut this singalong during its broadcast, with publications such as NME bringing this fact to the attention of the wider public online. When Kneecap themselves got wind of the story, they added the fact that organisers had also axed their pro-Palestine messaging as well.

Kneecap getting the Coachella crowd to sing Maggie’s in a box 😂 pic.twitter.com/NW7dK63kXr

— Cian ☘️🇾🇪 (@Cian_McGivern) April 12, 2025

“Not the only thing that was cut - our messaging on the US-backed genocide in Gaza somehow never appeared on screens either,” the group wrote on socials. “Back next Friday Coachella and it’ll be sorted.”

While Kneecap had their messaging censored on the livestream, Saturday night headliners Green Day weren’t subjected to the same treatment.

While the band had previously altered the lyrics to Jesus Of Suburbia to “Am I retarded, or am I just J.D. Vance?” while playing Australia, the same song saw them change the line “Runnin’ away from pain when you’ve been victimised” to “Runnin’ away from pain, like the kids from Palestine,” though reports indicate this was not censored on the broadcast.

Both Kneecap and Green Day are scheduled to perform at next weekend’s second weekend of Coachella, though the details of their set remain unclear at the current time.

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, 2025