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During a recent appearance<\/a> on The Strombo Show<\/a><\/em>, Tom Morello<\/a> called Kneecap<\/a> \u201cthe Rage Against the Machine<\/a> of now\u201d before defending their controversial political nature. This has led to Disturbed<\/a> vocalist David Draiman<\/a>\u00a0blasting Morello over his support for the provocative Irish rap outfit.<\/p>\n During the episode of The Strombo Show<\/em> \u2013 uploaded to YouTube on July 1, 2025 \u2013 Morello was asked if he \u201cstill find[s] young artists\u201d who\u2019re carrying the anti-establishment torch like RATM did. Morello mentioned The Neighborhood Kids<\/a> and Nova Twins<\/a> before saying that Kneecap are \u201cat the top of the list,\u201d adding: \u201cThey\u2019re clearly the Rage Against the Machine of now. Like, there\u2019s them and then there\u2019s a gap to the next one.\u201d<\/p>\n He’s then asked about his thoughts on Kneecap\u2019s May 2025 terrorism charge<\/a> for \u201ca human rights thing,\u201d to which Morello replied:<\/p>\n What they\u2019re doing in their art is what people could probably stand to do more in their lives, is to really speak truth to power. And, you know, Kneecap are not terrorists. What is terroristic is, you know, 20,000 dead Palestinian children. That\u2019s the story. . . . Not some Irish rappers who don\u2019t like that that\u2019s happening. [That] should not be the story.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n You can see the clip in question below:<\/p>\n Yesterday (July 12), Draiman tweeted a link to Far Out Magazine<\/a>\u2019s story about the interview, commenting: \u201cShameful. Truly. Wish I could say I was shocked. Guess my family doesn\u2019t count, when it comes to my \u2018friend\u2019s\u2019 virtue signaling for those who support terror, and incite Jew hatred.\u201d<\/p>\n You can see his post below:<\/p>\n As Metal Injection<\/a> notes, \u201cKneecap\u2019s controversial stance on Israel and ongoing war in Gaza has sparked backlash\u2014most vocally from Draiman,\u201d because \u2013 as Consequence<\/a> clarifies \u2013 Draiman \u201cis Jewish and . . . has family members who live in Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n Naturally, Draiman\u2019s tweet was met with mixed reactions.<\/p>\n For instance, one person replied: \u201cMorello is a repellent communist and a terrorist sympathizer,\u201d whereas another user said:<\/p>\n Tom is often in the north of Ireland and is well liked whenever he visits. He\u2019s well aware of the struggle our people faced and our support for the Palestinian people in their struggle for freedom. Tom\u2019s on the right side of history. You signed bombs that got dropped on innocent people in Gaza. I don\u2019t think he\u2019d consider you a \u201cfriend\u201d at all.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n You can see those comments below:<\/p>\n Of course, and as Metal Injection<\/a> explains, that latter tweet is referencing the fact that Draiman \u201chas drawn some pretty hefty criticism over the past two years ever since he visited Israel with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and signed an artillery shell<\/a> with the phrase \u2018Fuck Hamas.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Metal Injection add:<\/p>\n To reiterate \u2013 Draiman signed the missile in June 2024. This was after the events of October 7, 2023 when Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas, launched a large-scale, coordinated attack on Israel from Gaza. The assault resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,300 Israelis \u2013 most of them civilians \u2013 in areas near the Gaza border and at a music festival. Additionally, over 200 individuals were taken hostage and transported into Gaza.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n As of this writing, Morello hasn\u2019t responded to Draiman\u2019s words, and it doesn\u2019t look like Draiman has replied to anyone in the comments section of his tweet.<\/p>\n That said, earlier today (July 13), Kneecap tweeted about the situation by sharing a picture of Draiman signing a missile alongside the following statement: “We don’t care what religion anyone is…or if they’ve one at all. We love all sound cunts. Smiling and signing bombs dropped to murder kids and other people’s families just makes you a straight up cunt. Simple as. Free Palestine.”<\/p>\n You can see their post below:<\/p>\n Draiman subsequently issued a series of replies that \u2014 cumulatively\u00a0\u2014 read:<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the thing, and I\u2019ll speak to you in small words, so you understand. That shell was meant for HAMAS. You know, the organization who has sworn to murder all Jews, not just Israelis, time and time again, including my family. You shoot at Jews? Expect Jews to shoot back.<\/p>\n All innocent lives lost in this conflict are due to Hamas using their own people as cannon fodder so that they can gain the sympathy of those who are only too eager to jump on the Jew hating train. If the hostages were released and\u00a0 Hamas surrendered, the bloodshed would end\u2026<\/p>\n But neither you,\u00a0 nor Hamas really want that. Because without dead martyred Palestinians to fuel your zeitgeist, both you and them lose power. Enjoy your 5 minutes gentlemen. It could have been done with your art, but instead you chose to do it with hatred. Bye now<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n You can see his replies below:<\/p>\n READ MORE: Tom Morello Discusses Rage Against the Machine’s Legacy While Celebrating New Solo Music<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n As already alluded to, Kneecap have always been a brazenly polarizing political act, with their performance at Coachella back in April drawing widespread criticism for its blatant rallying against Israel.<\/p>\n Kneecap claimed that after week one of the two-week event, \u201cthe festival had censored their pro-Palestine messages<\/a> as well as an anti-Margaret Thatcher chant during their performance\u201d (per Loudwire<\/a>).<\/p>\n As Loudwire reported at the time, Sharon Osbourne<\/a> was among the most vocal critics of the performance. She \u201ccalled out festival organizers for allowing the statements of anti-Israel hate speech to be shared,\u201d and her sentiments received \u201cpraise\u201d and \u201ca social media share from Disturbed\u2019s David Draiman.\u201d<\/p>\n Specifically, Osbourne wrote on social media [via Loudwire]:<\/p>\n Coachella 2025 will be remembered as a festival that compromised its moral and spiritual integrity. Goldenvoice, the festival organizer, facilitated this by allowing artists to use the Coachella stage as a platform for political expression. Kneecap, an Irish rap group, took their performance to a different level by incorporating aggressive political statements. Their actions included projections of anti-Israel messages and hate speech and this band openly support terrorist organizations. This behavior raises concerns about the appropriateness of their participation in such a festival and further shows they are booked to play in the USA.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Days later, Kneecap responded<\/a> to Osbourne, with vocalist Mo Chara telling Rolling Stone<\/a><\/em>:<\/p>\n Her rant has so many holes in it that it hardly warrants a reply but she should listen to \u2018War Pigs\u2019 that was written by Black Sabbath (her husband). . . . People can make their own decisions about whether our message is anti-Israel, but for us, it\u2019s about their government\u2019s sickening actions, not ordinary people. Our message is about ending the genocide and ending the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine. . . . We want people to take whatever action they can to stop the genocide. People can take what they want from our music, stopping the genocide is more important.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n As Metal Injection<\/a> reported, Draiman was booed during his appearance at Black Sabbath<\/a> and Ozzy Osbourne<\/a>\u2019s Back to the Beginning<\/a> concert in Birmingham, England on July 5. Draiman took the stage as part of Morello\u2019s All Stars performance \u2013 singing \u201cShot in the Dark\u201d and \u201cSweet Leaf\u201d \u2013 and was \u201cmet with a significant amount of boos\u201d (likely due to his aforementioned meeting with the IDF).<\/p>\n The following day, Draiman took to social media to clarify that he \u201cwasn\u2019t \u2018booed off the stage\u2019 as so many people in the press and CERTAINLY #FreePalestine crowd, would have you believe.\u201d<\/p>\n He expounded [transcribed by Metal Injection]:<\/p>\n Yes, there were a few boos when I walked out, but I came to pay homage to my teachers, my idols, the mighty Black Sabbath, and I wasn’t about to let a few Jew hating morons deter that. It’s all about feeding their narrative, generating clickbait, and inciting hatred of Jews. There’s even a track being passed around out there that added enhanced booing to the performance just to add fuel to the fire. Pathetic.<\/p>\n The live stream shows the truth. Both songs went over great. You wouldn’t know that from some of the media however, who are only too eager to roast marshmallows next to this dumpster fire of a bullshit story. Oh well. Still here. Still coming back to the UK in the fall to what’s shaping up to be a VERY successful run, if ticket sales are any indication. And I am STILL UNAPOLOGETICALLY A FIERCELY PRO ISRAEL JEW . I will ALWAYS stand up for my people, and I won’t be deterred, intimidated, or shamed out of rocking the asses of the masses. Put that in your pipes and smoke it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n You can see his post below:<\/p>\n As for Morello, he was one of several rockers protesting Donald Trump\u2019s ICE Raids and deployment of the National Guard<\/a> back in June. He \u2013 as well as Evanescence<\/a>\u2019s Amy Lee<\/a> \u2013 joined<\/a> the June 14 \u201cNo Kings<\/a>\u201d protests against Trump\u2019s birthday\/military parade in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n On July 1<\/a>, Morello joined Loudwire Nights<\/a><\/em> to \u201cdive into\u00a0Back to the Beginning\u00a0and what it meant for him to be asked by\u00a0Sharon\u00a0and\u00a0Ozzy Osbourne<\/a>\u00a0to curate the event.\u201d The following week, he stopped by again<\/a> to \u201ccelebrate the release of his latest solo track, \u2018Pretend You Remember Me<\/a>.\u2019\u201d and discuss Rage Against the Machine\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n Outspoken artists championing causes!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Gallery Credit: Jordan Blum<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat Morello Said + Draiman\u2019s Response<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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