Kneecap to release Mo Chara’s Coachella speech on Israel on new 7″
Kneecap have announced the release of a new 7″ one-off vinyl edition of their single ‘H.O.O.D’, which will include Mo Chara’s controversial Coachella speech on Israel on the b-side.
The vinyl will only be available to fans who attend the New York screening of the Irish rap group’s live-streamed show on October 10th. The special vinyl will also be available to fans who purchase tickets to watch the broadcast.
The band, who have been at the centre of the debate about censorship and free speech, first garnered mainstream attention in April when they appeared at Coachella in California. During their second set of the festival, they made a series of pro-Palestinian statements amid the ongoing conflict with Israel. They also chanted about the death of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
During their next set at the festival, slogans were broadcast on the screen behind them. “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 some of the statements on offer.
At the time, the festival called out the band, distancing themselves from their Palestinian support. Sharon Osbourne even hit out at them, demanding their US visas be revoked.
Now, the speech that started it all will be available for purchase. The artwork for the exclusive release is a picture of Mo Chara with tape crossed over his mouth, to symbolise his being silenced by the British government.
Kneecap’s Mo Chara recently had terrorism charges against him dropped. The rapper was accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag at a gig at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town in London, in November last year. However, on September 26th, Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring concluded that the “proceedings were not instituted in the correct form” and, consequently, “the charge is unlawful and null and this court has no jurisdiction to try the charge.”
In a fiery statement after the verdict, the band addressed the British government, writing, “It was always about Gaza. About what happens if you dare to speak up. As people from Ireland we know oppression, colonialism, famine and genocide. We have suffered and still suffer under “your empire”. Your attempts to silence us have failed, because we are right, and you are wrong. We will not be silent.”
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