Pogues, Thin Lizzy, Massive Attack among bands to defend Kneecap’s ‘freedom of expression’
Dozens of performers sign letter supporting Northern Irish rappers who projected ‘F*ck Israel’ at Coachella, appeared to cheer Hamas and Hezbollah, urged fans to ‘kill your local MP’
JTA — Dozens of bands defended Kneecap’s “freedom of expression” after the rap group faced criticism for publicly condemning Israel and appearing to support terror groups.
“This past week has seen a clear, concerted attempt to censor and ultimately deplatform the band Kneecap,” reads the statement, signed by nearly 40 bands including The Pogues, Thin Lizzy, Dexys, Pulp and Massive Attack.
“In a democracy, no political figures or political parties should have the right to dictate who does and does not play at music festivals or gigs that will be enjoyed by thousands of people,” the statement said. It urged government officials and music executives to stop seeking to “silence” Kneecap.
The statement by the bands, posted on Instagram on Wednesday, came 10 days into a controversy swirling around the Northern Irish group.
On April 20, Kneecap projected a message reading, “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people,” onstage at Coachella, the giant California music festival.
“It is being enabled by the US who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes,” the message continued. “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine.”
“The Palestinians have nowhere to go,” band member Mo Chara told the crowd. “It’s their fucking home. And they’re bombing them from the skies. If you’re not calling it a genocide what the fuck are you calling it?”
On April 23, Sharon Osbourne, a Jewish TV personality and the wife of metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, called on Kneecap to lose its US visas due to the display. She was one of multiple Jewish celebrities to criticize the band.
On April 25, Kneecap defended its statements in a post and denied being antisemitic. “We do not give a f*ck what religion anyone practices. We know there are massive numbers of Jewish people outraged by this genocide just as we are,” the statement read.
On April 28, Ireland’s prime minister called on Kneecap to “urgently clarify” whether it supports Hamas and Hezbollah, after video surfaced of a band member cheering, “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah” while draped in a Hezbollah flag last year.
Later that day, Kneecap posted, “Let us be unequivocal: we do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah.”
The group is also being investigated by British police for the statements, including a video clip of the Belfast rap trio at a 2023 gig appearing to show one member saying: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP,” a reference to lawmakers from the Conservative Party.
In February, the band posted a photo on social media of a balaclava-wearing individual, also apparently a group member, reading a book of statements by slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) February 23, 2025
Both Hezbollah and Hamas are banned as terrorist organizations in the UK and it is a crime to express support for them.
The Wednesday statement by the bands did not refer to Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah or the war in Gaza, stating instead that political speech should be “irrelevant” to whether Kneecap is given space to perform.
“The question of agreeing with Kneecap’s political views is irrelevant: it is in the key interests of every artist that all creative expression be protected in a society that values culture, and that this interference campaign is condemned and ridiculed,” the statement said.
The band has had a number of gigs cancelled amid the controversy.
The war in Gaza followed an attack in Israel by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.
Fifty-nine hostages remain in captivity, of whom 24 are believed to be alive, according to Israeli intelligence assessments.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says that more than 52,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between combatants and civilians. Israel says it has killed some 20,000 combatants in battle as of January and another 1,600 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.
For over a year after the outbreak of the war, Hezbollah launched thousands of drone and rocket attacks against Israel. The attacks targeted civilian communities and military positions alike, forcing mass evacuations from northern Israeli towns and prompting a protracted state of high alert across the region. It was the most prolonged and intense period of Hezbollah-Israel hostilities since the 2006 Second Lebanon War.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.