Sharon Osbourne requires US visas to be revoked after Coachella

Sharon Osbourne has referred to as for a west Belfast rap group’s US work visas to be revoked.

Final weekend, Kneecap carried out at Coachella, an annual music pageant in California, the place they ended their set with pro-Palestinian messages.

Writing on social media, the TV persona and America’s Obtained Expertise decide stated the hip-hop trio had “took their efficiency to a distinct degree by incorporating aggressive political statements”.

Kneecap and the pageant’s organisers have been approached for remark.

The band are set to play various reveals within the US and Canada in coming months.

A US State Division spokesperson stated: “Attributable to privateness and different issues, and visa confidentiality, we typically is not going to touch upon Division actions with respect to particular instances.”

Warning: This text options language that some readers could discover offensive

Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 folks – largely civilians – and taking 251 again to Gaza as hostages.

Israel launched a large navy offensive in response, which has killed 51,240 Palestinians – primarily civilians – in keeping with Gaza’s Hamas-run well being ministry figures on Monday.

Kneecap have been vocal supporters of the Palestinian folks, usually elevating the battle of their dwell performances.

On the finish of their set on the second weekend of Coachella, which was not streamed on the pageant’s official YouTube web page, Kneecap projected three screens of textual content.

The primary message stated: “Israel is committing genocide towards the Palestinian folks,” adopted by: “It’s being enabled by the US authorities who arm and fund Israel regardless of their battle crimes,” and a last display screen added: “[Expletive] Israel. Free Palestine.”

In the course of the efficiency, band member Mo Chara stated: “The Irish not so way back had been persecuted by the hands of the Brits, however we had been by no means bombed from the… skies with nowhere to go.

“The Palestinians have nowhere to go.”

The band additionally led the viewers in chants of: “Free, free Palestine”.

On 11 April, throughout Kneecap’s first Coachella efficiency, the group confronted criticism after main an anti-Margaret Thatcher chant – which was subsequently omitted from the pageant’s livestream – together with requires a united Eire.

On Tuesday, Osbourne claimed on social media the band’s actions included “projections of anti-Israel messages and hate speech”.

“This band overtly assist terrorist organizations,” she added.

“I urge you to hitch me in advocating for the revocation of Kneecap’s work visa,” she stated.

A US State Division spokesperson informed BBC Information NI that the Trump administration “is targeted on defending our nation and our residents by upholding the very best requirements of nationwide safety and public security via our visa course of”.

“When contemplating revocations, the Division seems to be at data that arises after the visa was issued which will point out a possible visa ineligibility beneath U.S. immigration legal guidelines, pose a risk to public security, or different conditions the place revocation is warranted,” they added.

“This will embody every thing from arrests, felony convictions, and fascinating in conduct that’s inconsistent with the visa classification, to an overstay.”

Ms Osbourne was additionally essential of the organisers of the pageant, Goldenvoice, a subsidiary of Anschutz Leisure Group (AEG).

“Experiences point out that Goldenvoice was unaware of Kneecap’s political intentions once they had been booked,” Osbourne stated.

“Nevertheless, after witnessing their efficiency in the course of the first weekend, permitting them to carry out once more the next weekend suggests assist of their rhetoric and an absence of due diligence,” she continued.

“This behaviour raises issues concerning the appropriateness of their participation in such a pageant and additional reveals they’re booked to play within the USA,” Osbourne stated.

“I do know for a indisputable fact that sure folks within the business had written to Goldenvoice, airing their issues across the reserving of Kneecap,” she stated.

The organisers have additionally been approached for remark.

In response to the efficiency, the organisers of the Nova Music Pageant, Tribe of Nova, stated Kneecap shared messaging that “deeply damage many in our neighborhood”.

A whole bunch of individuals had been killed on the pageant and various folks had been kidnapped in the course of the Hamas assault on 7 October 2023.

In a press release, they stated: “Our pageant was an area the place folks got here collectively -across cultures and beliefs – to rejoice life. That is why we consider that even within the face of ignorance or provocation, our response have to be rooted in empathy, not hate.

“We invite the members of Kneecap to go to the Nova Exhibition and expertise first-hand the tales of those that had been murdered, those that survived, and those that are nonetheless being held hostage.

“To not disgrace or silence – however to attach. To witness. To know.”

Kneecap are an Irish-speaking rap trio who’ve courted controversy with their provocative lyrics and merchandise.

The group was shaped in 2017 by three buddies who go by the stage names of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí.

Their rise to fame impressed a semi-fictionalised movie starring Oscar-nominated actor Michael Fassbender.

The movie received a British Academy of Movie Award (Bafta) in February 2025.

In the meantime, a Jewish safety charity has referred to as for police to analyze movies showing to indicate the group specific assist for Hezbollah and Hamas.

Hezbollah is a political and navy group in Lebanon, whereas Hamas is a Palestinian armed group and political motion within the Gaza Strip.

On Monday, a member of Neighborhood Safety Belief (CST) shared on X a video from a Kneecap gig in London final November.

The footage appeared to indicate a member of the group draped in a Hezbollah flag shouting to the gang “up Hamas, up Hezbollah”.

A CST spokeswoman stated it was “totally disgraceful” that Hezbollah and Hamas – each thought-about terrorist organisations by the UK and different nations – had been being “lauded from a London stage” with the gang “inspired to indicate their assist”.

“We absolutely count on the police to analyze this completely and take applicable motion.”

The Metropolitan Police has been requested for a response.

On Tuesday, Conservative Get together chief Kemi Badenoch shared the video and renewed her criticism of the Labour authorities for final yr settling a authorized case introduced by the group.

It associated to a call Badenoch made when she was a minister to withdraw an arts grant.

Kneecap was awarded £14,250 – the identical quantity they had been initially granted.

Badenoch posted on X, previously often called Twitter: “Maybe now Labour see Kneecap overtly glorifying evil terror teams, they may apologise for rolling over. However I doubt it.”

The Division for Enterprise and Commerce stated the federal government’s “precedence is to get on delivering the change we promised and defend the taxpayer from additional expense”.

A spokesperson stated this was “why we didn’t proceed to contest Kneecap’s problem as we didn’t consider it to be within the public curiosity”.