System Of A Down vocalist Serj Tankian and his bandmates in that multi-platinum nü-metal outfit have long rallied for international recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. A considerable amount of both Tankian‘s and the band’s prolific activism over the years have been centered entirely around that cause. Even with disparate political views existing within System, the championing of their shared Armenian-American heritage has served as a unifying platform.
That common interest led to the band delivering a landmark homecoming live performance n Yerevan, Armenia back in 2015. System Of A Down‘s support for the Armenian people also caused a break in the group’s decades-long creative stalemate back 2020, with the band releasing two new singles that raised $600,000 USD for the people or Artsakh amid the Nagorno-Karabakh War
However, word that Israel’s government have newly taken steps to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide hasn’t entirely been welcomed by Tankian. Instead the politically outspoken musician/artist, etc. took the opportunity to call out Israel’s government for hypocrisy, putting forth that he feels Israel ‘s governing body are recognizing one genocide, while committing genocides of their own in Gaza and Lebanon.
Tankian‘s video statement on the matter read as follows [transcribed by Rock Feed]:
“For many years, Israel’s government used AIPAC to lobby the US Congress to not recognize the Armenian genocide, to prevent Congress from recognizing the Armenian genocide, due to their relationship with Turkey, their intelligence sharing with Turkey, et cetera.
Today, the Netanyahu cabinet decided to recognize the Armenian genocide of 1915 — a genocide that led Hitler thinking that he could do what he could do to the Jews in the 1930s and 1940s.
The fact that this government is already committing genocide in Gaza and Lebanon decided to recognize the genocide of my grandparents is the worst f***ing thing that they could have done to Armenians — by using our history, our genocide, our pain to their political advantage.
F*** you.”
