We Bet Kneecap Reps Palestine on Fallon

Irish Republicanism + Palestinian liberation = Rough Night for Host Jimmy Fallon

Irish hip-hop band, Kneecap, is set to appear on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon this Friday, March 8th, to talk about their acting debut in a biopic that chronicles their rise in the Irish music scene. For anyone paying attention to their recent public appearances, the question isn’t what they’ll say about the film, but what they might say about Palestine.  

Irish republicanism and Palestinian liberation have long had a shared affinity. For example, the Scottish soccer team Celtic was founded by and for Irish immigrants and for many years fan groups (ultras) have displayed Palestinian banners and flags during matches. Last fall, in the wake of the October 7th attack, and despite formal censorship by the club and the league’s governors, Celtic fans gave a rousing rendition of their anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone” while waving Palestinian flags in defiance of the ban.

In January 2024, Clare Daly, an Irish member of the European Parliament, gave a scathing rebuke of Joe Biden for his support of Israeli apartheid and ethnic cleansing: “So take note, Butcher Biden, the ancestors of the Ireland that you claim to be from disown you. Keep our country out of your mouth.”

Just last week, the famous International Wall of murals in Belfast was transformed into a Palestine wall as a show of solidarity. Within this context of courageous Irish expressions of solidarity with Palestine, we anticipate what Kneecap will bring to its largest U.S. audience to date when they make their appearance on Fallon. 

Kneecap makes no bones about their republicanism, which features in their lyrics, on two murals they’ve put up in Belfast, and on DJ Próvaí’s ass (we’ll leave it to you to find the music video in question). During their recent trip to the US for the Sundance film festival, where their biopic premiered, all three members of the band participated in a protest in support of Palestine. In a post on X, they wrote that “the US is directly complicit in this genocide and enables it with consistent weaponry to a fanatical regime and a pathetic disregard of international law.” 

Then, in a February 2024 appearance on Ireland public television’s (RTÉ) Late Late Show, they forced a conversation on Palestine when DJ Próvaí “removed the jacket he had been wearing to unveil a jersey featuring an Arabic slogan and a Palestinian flag on the crest in support of the Palestinian people.” Prior to Kneecap’s appearance, RTÉ had formally demanded that the band not wear any pro-Palestinian insignias during the show. As the host tried to manage this disturbance, the band criticized Israel for perpetrating a genocide that has already killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, most of whom are women and children. They once again specifically mentioned U.S. military sponsorship of the mass slaughter.

It was a courageous act, particularly as a new band with so much momentum and even more to lose.

We expect nothing less from the boys, stateside on Fallon.