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Scandal about Jello Biafra playing in Israel

Discussion in 'Music, punk scene & subcultures' started by ungovernable, Mar 14, 2013.

  1. ungovernable

    ungovernable Autonome Staff Member Uploader Admin Team Experienced member


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    After weeks of sustained protest and outcry from punk rock supporters, Palestinian solidarity activists, and boycott campaigners, punk rock icon Jello Biafra has agreed to cancel his upcoming show in Tel Aviv, planned for next week.

    Read:
    http://electronicintifada.net/blog/nora ... -punk-rock
    http://electronicintifada.net/blog/nora ... icket-line

    Biafra had announced his decision to play the gig several weeks ago, claiming that the boycott movment against Israeli apartheid was “divided” and “not as unified” as the South African anti-apartheid movement, and therefore it didn’t really apply to him.
    Read: http://electronicintifada.net/blog/nora ... w-tel-aviv

    Today, Biafra issued a statement on his Facebook page saying that he and his band, the Guantanamo School of Medicine, are not going through with the Tel Aviv gig, but that “this does not mean that I or anyone else in the band are endorsing or joining lockstep with the boycott of all things Israel.”
    Read: https://www.facebook.com/notes/jello-bi ... 9402126435

    He continues:

    I am going to Israel and Palestine to check things out myself and may yet conclude that playing for people in the belly of the beast was the right thing to do in the first place.

    Biafra’s decision to cancel the Tel Aviv gig is the right one, but he still seems under the impression that the boycott is a fringe movement that he has the right to ignore.

    In his statement, Biafra also concludes quite naively that if he had also booked a gig in Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, it would have put the entire debate to rest — as though playing a show in Tel Aviv and playing a show in Ramallah would have been an equitable move. However he doesn’t understand that playing a show in Tel Aviv in the first place is a direct violation of the Palestinian-led boycott call, no matter wherever else one happens to play. If an artist performs for money in Tel Aviv, he is crossing the boycott line. And Palestinians leading the BDS call will not be placated or amused by a token gig in a ghetto bantustan in the West Bank.

    And not only that, it comes off as quite racist.

    We tried again and came close to landing a Ramallah show, but again, we needed to be better prepared. How fair is it to the organizers to demand a full-on rock show on a few days’ notice with a type of music they may not be familiar with? More importantly, how much are we really doing for Palestinian rights if people there don’t seem interested in our kind of music at all?

    No, Jello. People are interested in your music “there.” I happen to know quite a few Palestinian punk rock fans. What they’re not interested in is you deciding to take money to play a gig in Tel Aviv, therefore breaking the BDS call. That’s the big issue.

    Jello Biafra may not understand the basic foundation of what’s at the heart of the boycott movement. But at least he won’t entertain an audience in Tel Aviv.
     

  2. punkmar77

    punkmar77 Experienced Member Uploader Experienced member


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    This is very strange Ungovernable, this happened last year..not a few days ago...I actually contacted Jello personally and told him that my respect and friendship would not continue if he decided to go ahead with the planned show, and he cancelled about a week later, but that was last year....????????
     
  3. punkmar77

    punkmar77 Experienced Member Uploader Experienced member


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  4. ungovernable

    ungovernable Autonome Staff Member Uploader Admin Team Experienced member


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    Jello Biafra has come out officially endorsing presidential candidate Bernie Sanders today...
    https://www.punknews.org/article/59479/ ... ie-sanders

    He's even listed on Bernie Sanders official website:
    https://berniesanders.com/artists/
    Dead Kennedys is being used to openly support someone who may be the next president of USA... Wow.

    We already knew he was a candidate for San Francisco mayor, but apparently he had a program of self-management and reform of capitalism. Now he's just supporting someone to govern us without any plan to abolish the state or capitalism. Sounds weird to me.

    Bedtime for democracy ? Not yet, apparently.

    http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/deadkenn ... ation.html
     
  5. punkmar77

    punkmar77 Experienced Member Uploader Experienced member


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    I saw that today.....soup is good food
     
  6. THEBLACKNOVA

    THEBLACKNOVA Experienced Member Experienced member Forum Member


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    Was Jello Biafra an anarchist? Is Jello Biafra an anarchist?

    I thought he was a very angry LIBERAL....

    And still is a very angry LIBERAL...

    I once saw him speak at a fundraiser for a political candidate in a local election...
    The candidate was someone from the underground alternative/punk scene.

    :ecouteurs:
     
  7. ungovernable

    ungovernable Autonome Staff Member Uploader Admin Team Experienced member


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    Apparently he was also a long time member of the Green Party before jumping on the Bernie Sanders bandwagon.
     
  8. SmokeyJoe

    SmokeyJoe Experienced Member Experienced member


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    Wow that's...disheartening, I think is the word for it. Biafra was how I got into punk in the first place. Hell, I did a presentation on his spoken word stuff in college. I'd always tried to withhold judgement about the whole mess with the band, since I figure everything's got more than one side and we'd probably never hear the whole story, but...

    ...damn. Never thought I'd see the guy who did "Pull My Strings" and "California Uber Alles" supporting some politician's attempt to grab power. "Anarchy for Sale" indeed.

    He sure liked to throw the term around back in the day. Makes you wonder how much of it he really meant. Or did he just get old and sell out?
     
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