Coachella organisers were “blindsided” by Kneecap’s pro-Palestinian messages

The organisers of Coachella 2025 were reportedly “blindsided” by Kneecap’s pro-Palestinian messages and chants at the festival.

• READ MORE: Kneecap on the cover – giving peace, protest and partying a chance

The Irish rap trio made headlines with their performances on the Sonora Stage at both weekends of the California festival.

First time around, the live stream of their set was cut after they voiced their support for a free Palestine, and also led the crowd in a provocative anti-Margaret Thatcher chant. “Not only was that cut,” they later said, referring to the Thatcher refrain, “our messaging on the US-backed genocide in Gaza somehow never appeared on screens either.”

At the second weekend, the band provided their own livestream, with political commentator Hasan Piker broadcasting their set live on Twitch. Slogans including “Fuck Israel, Free Palestine”, “Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinian people” and “It is being enabled by the US government who arm and fund Israel despite their war crimes” were projected on the screen behind them as they played.

Some uncensored messaging to Coachella Read More