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\n\tSharon Osbourne has shared her disdain of Northern Irish hip-hop trio Kneecap<\/a> and the outspoken messaging present in their recent Coachella set, going so far as to call for the revocation of their work visas.<\/p>\n \n\tOsbourne shared her comments<\/a> on social media on Tuesday (April 22), days after Kneecap played the second weekend of the Coachella festival. The Friday (April 18) performance drew recognition for the band\u2019s use of strong anti-Israel sentiments<\/a> during their set \u2013 sentiments which they had claimed<\/a> were censored during their first weekend appearance.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIsrael is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,\u201d the projected messages<\/a> read. \u201cIt is being enabled by the U.S. government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes. F\u2013k Israel; free Palestine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tThese messages weren\u2019t the only pro-Palestinian sentiments shared during the 2025 edition of the festival. Notably, Green Day altered lyrics<\/a> to reflect the plight of Palestinian children, while names such as Bob Vylan and Blonde Redhead displayed Palestinian flags<\/a> during their sets. In the case of the latter, the onstage event was soundtracked<\/a> by audio of Mahmoud Khalil \u2013 the detained Columbia University graduate student currently being held in an immigration detention center following his role in on-campus protests.<\/p>\n \n\tHowever, Osbourne shared a lengthy response to the apparent politicisation of Coachella, noting that this year\u2019s edition will be remembered \u201cas a festival that compromised its moral and spiritual integrity.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cGoldenvoice, the festival organizer, facilitated this by allowing artists to use the Coachella stage as a platform for political expression,\u201d she wrote. \u201cAt a time when the world is experiencing significant unrest, music should serve as an escape, not a stage for political discourse.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWhile festivals like Coachella showcase remarkable talent from around the globe, music\u2019s primary purpose is to unite people. It should not be a venue for promoting terrorist organizations or spreading hate.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAs Osbourne continued, she noted that despite being a fan of Saturday headliners Green Day, she felt that their own views of events in the Middle East would have been more appropriate if shared \u201cat their own concert, not at a festival.\u201d Kneecap\u2019s sentiments, however, were deemed so egregious that she closed by asking supporters to join in her \u201cadvocating for the revocation of Kneecap\u2019s work visa.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cKneecap, an Irish rap group, took their performance to a different level by incorporating aggressive political statements,\u201d Osbourne wrote. \u201cTheir actions included projections of anti-Israel messages and hate speech, and this band openly support terrorist organizations.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThis behavior raises concerns about the appropriateness of their participation in such a festival and further shows they are booked to play in the USA. Reports indicate that Goldenvoice was unaware of Kneecap\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tIn the wake of Kneecap\u2019s performance, Goldenvoice CEO Paul Tollett reportedly<\/a> claimed he was \u201cblindsided\u201d by the band\u2019s actions. While HYBE America CEO and former talent manager Scooter Braun \u2013 who previously staged exhibits in Los Angeles and Israel about the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel \u2013 defended Tollett<\/a>, Osbourne expressed disbelief that anyone who attended exhibits such as Braun\u2019s could book an artist such as Kneecap for the festival.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cFurthermore, the Independent Artists Group, which represents Kneecap, includes individuals of Jewish heritage,\u201d she continued. \u201cIt is disheartening that they have not used their positions to prevent the promotion of such controversial messages. Shame on them.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cAs someone with both Irish Catholic on my Mothers side and Ashkenazi Jewish heritage on my Fathers side, and extensive experience in the music industry, I understand the complexities involved,\u201d she added. \u201cGoldenvoice\u2019s claim of being \u2018blindsided\u2019 by Kneecap\u2019s performance seems implausible given the circumstances. I know for a fact that certain people in the industry had written to Goldenvoice, airing their concerns around the booking of Kneecap.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFor their part, Kneecap have not responded directly to the criticism of their messaging, instead sharing examples<\/a> of the myriad supportive messages they have received in the wake of their Coachella sets. The group will return<\/a> to North America in October for another run of live dates.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n