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A concert promoter involved in organizing the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, was reportedly "blindsided" by anti-Israel rhetoric espoused by a rock band that performed at the event.
Irish hip-hop group Kneecap made calls to "free Palestine" and "F--k Israel" during their set on Friday at the Sonora tent. They also made references to genocide and condemned the U.S. military for its support of Israel, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"Kneecap followed up its Coachella set on social media with numerous video posts about their ‘uncensored messaging’ and a request for young Americans to send the clips to President Trump, whom they called a derogatory term that starts with a c," the Hollywood Reporter explained further.
Kneecap claimed last week that they were censored after pushing anti-Margaret Thatcher chants and other anti-Israel sentiments during their first show, which was reportedly cut off before their set ended.
GREEN DAY CALLS VICE PRESIDENT VANCE SLUR IN REWORK OF BAND'S 2000s-ERA SONG
Festivalgoers are seen during the first weekend of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Club on Saturday, April 12, 2025, in Indio, Calif. (Amy Harris/Invision/AP)
The band doubled down during their most recent performance at their weekend two show that offended the Jewish community. Sonora, a venue that typically platforms punk artists, reportedly did not livestream their second performance when organizers expected the band to double down on anti-Israel sentiments.
Formed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2017, the band is notably a politically charged group that typically calls for Ireland to sever ties with British rule. However, Goldenvoice, the company that promoted Coachella, was shocked by Kneecap’s behavior after Jewish groups reached out to the company to address the anti-Israel remarks.
The Hollywood Reporter cites insiders as saying that the CEO of Goldenvoice, Paul Tollett, was "blindsided."
Coachella is no stranger to politically charged performances due to Green Day taking aim at President Donald Trump after changing the lyrics in their hit song, "American Idiot." (Getty Images, People Magazine)
The report also cites music manager Scooter Braun defending Tollett after the backlash against Kneecap’s performance.
"Paul is a good man and has been an outspoken advocate on behalf of survivors of the Nova Music Festival," Braun wrote on his Instagram on Sunday.
Braun explained further that Tollett had attended a Los Angeles memorial exhibit that he created to honor the hundreds who lost their lives in the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas terrorists.
"He not only attended the exhibit but stayed for five hours and then sat with survivors," Braun said.
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Coachella is no stranger to politically charged performances.
Green Day lead singer Billy Joe Armstrong took aim at President Donald Trump and his administration after changing the lyrics in their hit song, "American Idiot."
Furthermore, Sen. Bernie Sanders made an appearance, taking the stage to blast the Trump administration.
Joshua Q. Nelson is a reporter for Fox News Digital.
Joshua focuses on politics, education policy ranging from the local to the federal level, and the parental uprising in education.
Joining Fox News Digital in 2019, he previously graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Political Science and is an alum of the National Journalism Center and the Heritage Foundation's Young Leaders Program.
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