Kneecap hit back at Sharon Osbourne and say 'statements aren't aggressive' after US visa threat
The Belfast rap crew Kneecap
has clapped back at demands
for the US to pull their visas following their charged Coachella gig, where they finished with
a pro-Palestinian message
.
On her social channels, TV star and music manager Sharon Osbourne
called out the hip-hop group
, saying they "took their performance to a different level by incorporating aggressive political statements." Kneecap fired back: "Statements aren't aggressive, murdering 20,000 children is though.
"If somebody is hurt by the truth, that's something for them to be hurt by, but it's really important to speak truth," Kneecap's manager Daniel Lambert said to the
RTE
. Lambert stood by the group, saying: "Thankfully the lads are not afraid to do that." He also relayed that the band faced death threats post-Coachella, calling the severity of these threats "too severe to get into."
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The US State Department spokesperson explained to BBC News NI that visa cancellations are considered when facts "may indicate a potential visa ineligibility under US immigration laws, pose a threat to public safety, or other situations where revocation is warranted."
Sharon Osbourne demands that the US revoke Kneecap's visa
(Image: Getty Images)
In a Tuesday post on her platforms, Osbourne slammed the group for displaying "projections of anti-Israel messages and hate speech" during their set, accusing them of roaring support for "terrorist organizations."
Osbourne slammed the festival organizers, Goldenvoice, a branch of Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), for their handling of the situation.
"Reports indicate that Goldenvoice was unaware of Kneecap's political intentions when they were booked. However, after witnessing their performance during the first weekend, allowing them to perform again the following weekend suggests support of their rhetoric and a lack of due diligence," Osbourne remarked.
During their initial Coachella gig on April 11, Kneecap stirred controversy by initiating an anti-Margaret Thatcher chant - which was later excluded from the festival's livestream - along with calls for Irish unification.
In their second weekend set at Coachella, which wasn't broadcasted on the official YouTube channel of the festival, Kneecap displayed three provocative messages.
The first declared: "Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people," followed by: "It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes," and the last message boldly stated: "[Expletive] Israel. Free Palestine."
During the act, band member Mo Chara commented: "The Irish not so long ago were persecuted at the hands of the Brits, but we were never bombed from the... skies with nowhere to go.The Palestinians have nowhere to go." The group also incited the crowd with chants of: "Free, free Palestine."
Osbourne stated that she has concerns regarding Kneecap's involvement in the US festival, particularly with their upcoming performance.
"This behavior raises concerns about the appropriateness of their participation in such a festival and further shows they are booked to play in the USA," she said, and "I know for a fact that certain people in the industry had written to Goldenvoice, airing their concerns around the booking of Kneecap." She then asked her followers to request that the group's US work visas be revoked.
The representative from the US State Department declined to comment on the group's visa process, citing that "due to privacy and other considerations, and visa confidentiality, we generally will not comment on department actions with respect to specific cases."
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