Irish rap trio KNEECAP released a lengthy statement online on Monday after their news sparked controversy over Israel on Coachella earlier this month.
“They want you to believe that words are more harmful than genocide,” the statement shared on social media began. "Let's say it clearly: We won't, and we don't support Hamas or Hezbollah. We always condemn all attacks on civilians. It's never good. We know this better than anyone else, given the history of our country."
While critics have accused Kneecap of making statements in the past supporting the violent actions of Hamas and Hezbollah, the group denied this, alleging that any reports to this effect were the result of “establishment figures” who “combed through hundreds of hours of footage and interviews, extracting a handful of words from months or years ago to manufacturing moral hysteria” in an attempt to silence the rap group. In the UK, the three were also accused of inciting violence against members of parliament; they also denied this and addressed the families of two murdered members of parliament, writing: “We send a heartfelt apology and we never intend to cause you.”
Kneecap is from Belfast, northern Ireland, and sectarian violence claimed many lives before the Good Friday agreement in 1998. In a statement Monday, the band accused the British government of continuing to “supply weapons to Israel” and claimed “the powerful massacre and famine in Britain.”
Kneecap reiterated that their “message has been and remains one of love, inclusion and hope” and he asserted that “no smearing movement would change that.”
"A few days later, the British political class was subjected to an avalanche of anger and condemnation after calling for applause and solidarity from the U.S. government," the group wrote of their controversial festival performance.
The band ended in their message “The real crime is not in our performance; the real crime is the silence and complicity of those in power.” “Shame them.”
In Kneecap's first Coachella performance, the team planned to have several forecasts on it about information about Gaza. However, these predictions didn't make it happen on stage, and the scene was shortened on Coachella's YouTube livestream. Band member Mo Chara told Rolling stones then.
The second weekend of the forecast reads: “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people, and then: “The U.S. government will enable the U.S. government despite war crimes. "The last screen shows "Fuck Israel." The term "Free Palestine" is, and when the scene is over, the crowd is shouting "Free Palestine".
Israel’s description of revenge in Gaza following the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 is a genocide that has caused great controversy. Humanitarian groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and many others have used the term. Former President Joseph R. Biden and the American Jewish Countys, as well as other groups supporting Israel, are strongly opposed to the framework.
Kneecap's Coachella performance sparked anger from the pro-Israeli group, which groups and public figures condemn the group. Last week, Sharon Osbourne called for the revocation of band members’ visas, accusing their predictions of promoting “anti-Israel message and hate speech.” When asked about Osborne's tweet, Mo Chara replied: "There are a lot of holes in her roar, and there is little guarantee of a reply, but she should have heard "War Pigs" written by Black Sabbath."