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It began in 2023 when Think about Dragons determined to play a present in Baku, Azerbaijan. On the time, System Of A Down vocalist Serj Tankian criticized the band, saying that the present lended legitimacy to the Azerbaijani regime because the Nagorno-Karabakh battle continued to rage on.
Lengthy historical past lesson brief, in 2022 the Azerbaijan authorities fashioned an unlawful blockade of the Republic of Artsakh inflicting a critical humanitarian disaster the place the residents of Artsakh went with out meals, electrical energy, and medication for over a yr. So you’ll be able to see why Tankian can be pissed, particularly contemplating System Of A Down‘s stance on the matter in each their 2020 singles “Genocidal Humanoidz” and “Shield The Land”.
In a 2023 assertion, Tankian wrote: “Now it must be mentioned. A couple of months in the past, it got here to my consideration that @imaginedragons had deliberate a present on Sept 2nd in Baku Azerbaijan. I used to be positive they have been unaware that Azerbaijan’s petro-oligarchic dictatorial regime was ravenous 120k folks in Nagorno-Karabagh which is now being referred to as a Genocide by the previous prosecutor of the Worldwide Legal Court docket, Luis Moreno Ocampo.
“So by means of representatives, I despatched them a form letter urging them to rethink taking part in their present in Azerbaijan as it might assist whitewash the dictatorial regime’s picture there. I included varied articles together with one by Amnesty Int’l who I used to be informed they’ve labored with up to now. There was no response. No reply, no response.
“Because the humanitarian disaster worsens in Nagorno-Karabagh with hunger already being recorded I’m compelled to publicize this letter and their disregard for this humanitarian disaster. Possibly they felt that they had a authorized legal responsibility to play the present, possibly they simply do not care. My complete life I’ve been an advocate for genocide recognition and have at all times mentioned there must be a worth to pay for Genocidal regimes or deniers. One other genocide is looming by Azerbaijan and whereas this occurs they get to take pleasure in an American band from LV. Fuck that!
“That is not proper. Go to my profile to signal a petition to the band on change.org in case you care to signal and you’ll see my letter to the band on my Fb web page.”
Think about Dragons performed the present anyway, and Tankian proceeded to slam their determination in an interview with Metal Hammer. “I do not know these guys, however who’re these folks? ‘I do not perceive that sort of considering.’ Very shut thereafter, Azerbaijan attacked the folks of Nagorno-Karabakh and 120,000 folks left their historic houses.
“Look, I am not a choose for folks to inform bands the place to play, or the place to not play. You will have different artists taking part in in very questionable kingdoms, run by one individual, the place folks haven’t got numerous human rights, and I get that they are doing it for cash, that they are artists, that they are entertaining, all of that.
“However when there is a authorities that is about to commit ethnic cleaning, when Azerbaijan was ravenous the 120,000 Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh, and never permitting any meals or medication in… , as an artist, if I discovered that out, there is no such thing as a fucking approach I might have gone and performed that present. However some artists do. And I do not know what to say about these artists. I do not respect them as human beings. Fuck their artwork, they don’t seem to be good human beings, so far as I am involved.
“If you’re that blind to justice that you’ll go play a present in a rustic that is ravenous one other nation, illegally, in line with the Worldwide Court docket of Justice, in line with what Amnesty Worldwide is saying, what Human Rights Watch is saying… In the event you nonetheless go and play that nation, I do not know what to say about you as a fucking human being. I do not even care about your music. In the event you’re a foul human being, I do not give a fuck. In order that’s the place I am at with that. I’ve zero respect for these guys.”
Then in a latest interview with Rolling Stone, Think about Dragons vocalist Dan Reynolds lastly broke his silence on the matter saying: “I do not consider in depriving our followers who need to see us play due to the acts of their leaders and their governments. I believe that is a extremely slippery slope. I believe the second you begin to try this, there’s corrupt leaders and warmongers everywhere in the world, and the place do you draw the road?”
Which kinda feels a little bit half-hearted given Tankian‘s sprawling statements, proper? Doubly in order Tankian responded in a prolonged Instagram publish saying: “Dan Reynolds acknowledged: ‘I do not consider in depriving our followers who need to see us play due to the acts of their leaders and their governments, I believe that is a extremely slippery slope. I believe the second you begin to try this, there’s corrupt leaders and warmongers everywhere in the world, and the place do you draw the road?’
“Respectfully, I draw the road at ethnic cleaning and genocide. Azerbaijan’s dictatorship with standard help was already right into a 9 month hunger blockade of Nagorno-Karabagh certified as Genocide by former @icc prosecutor @luismorenoocampo once they determined to play Baku. Would they play in Nazi Germany? Why do not they need to play in Russia? As a result of it isn’t standard ?
“They help Ukraine however not Armenians of Artsakh? The one ‘slippery slope’ is the farce ethical equivalency on the coronary heart of this hypocritical perspective. I’ve nothing towards this man nor his band. I simply hate artists being taken benefit of to whitewash Genocidal dictatorships.
“Thanks for studying @nmemagazine @rollingstone @the.impartial @metalsucks”
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