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Call for Kneecap band to lose US visas after anti-Israel Coachella performance

The band projected a series of messages at Coachella that accused Israel of genocide and condemned US support for the Israeli military.

By Grace Gilson, JTA

Jewish stars are condemning Kneecap after the Irish band delivered an anti-Israel performance during its set at the Coachella music and arts festival in Indio, California.

At least one is calling for the Trump administration to revoke the band’s work visas in advance of its upcoming — and nearly sold-out — US tour.

“Their actions included projections of anti-Israel messages and hate speech, and this band openly supports terrorist organizations,” wrote UK  television personality Sharon Osbourne on Instagram.

“This behavior raises concerns about the appropriateness of their participation in such a festival and further shows that they are booked to play in the US.”

Osbourne’s call comes as the State Department cracks down on what it has called “Hamas sympathizers,” seeking to deport or bar from entry pro-Palestinian activists.

Osbourne, who is Jewish and the wife of metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, was referring to Kneecap’s social media posts venerating Hezbollah and its performance at Coachella.

There, the band projected a series of messages that accused Israel of genocide, condemned US support for the Israeli military and concluded, “F–k Israel. Free Palestine.”

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The group also led Coachella attendees in chanting, “Free, free Palestine.”

Peter Himmelman, a Jewish singer and songwriter, called Kneecap “savvy provocateurs” and accused the group of manipulating the crowd.

“This was a carefully curated theatrical event in which Israelis — and by extension, the overwhelming majority of Jews around the world who support Israel — were being labeled genocidal,” Himmelman wrote in a Facebook post.

“They also know what it means to lead a crowd in rhythmic unison against the world’s only Jewish state,” Himmelman added.

“As adept songwriters, they understand how history rhymes. They might even understand how dangerous those rhymes become when everyone is shouting and no one is thinking.”

Himmelman drew comparisons between the crowds at Coachella and those murdered when Hamas attacked the Nova music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing more than 350 festival-goers in the largest massacre of the deadly day.

The Tribe of Nova, an Israeli non-profit founded following the massacre, and the Nova Exhibition said Kneecap’s performance was deeply painful and invited the band to tour the exhibit — now in Toronto — to better understand the tragedy.

“Coachella like Nova is a place of love,” the organizations wrote on Instagram. “Healing begins with listening. And we believe that even those who have spoken from a place of anger or misinformation are capable of empathy — if they are willing to see.”