Serj Tankian, the frontman for System Of A Down, spoke out about the conflict in Palestine and the movement to boycott companies with ties to Israel. Hamas launched an attack on Israel in retaliation for its occupation of Palestinian territories, resulting in the deaths of 1,189 people. Israel’s ongoing operations have killed 37,702 Palestinians as well. Tankian voiced his thoughts on current events and the ongoing boycotts in an interview with NME about his new autobiography, Down With The System. While the singer cited instances of activism being held ransom by “certain fringe elements of society,” he believed most activists had noble intentions. He was also not afraid to state that he thought Israel’s president, Benjamin Netanyahu, was a war criminal.
Tankian believed it was imperative for the youth to imbue their voices within the broader activist movement. According to him, the majority of activists are earnest in their intentions, and their work is essential. He also argued that while Hamas’ invasion of Israel was a terrorist action, they were war criminals who deserved punishment. Yet, in the same vein, the Netanyahu government’s response was also a war crime, given the number of innocent Palestinians caught in the crossfire.
Tankian also brought up the less-discussed conflict between Azerbaijan’s invasion of Nagorno Karabakh in September 2020, where over 120,000 residents have been living for ages. Tankian has been actively involved in championing the cause; he has been raising awareness of the grappling humanitarian crisis and the atrocities committed since 1915, leading to the Armenian genocide remaining unrecognized by several governments today.
Separately, Tankian’s recent memoir revealed that System of A Down was searching for a new singer back in 2018 after he offered to quit the band. He relayed he was no longer interested in touring due to his back injury and that it no longer resonates with his vision
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