The former Dead Kennedys vocalist also mentioned the assassination of Marielle Franco in a statement
Last month, Dead Kennedys cancelled their tour in Brazil due to controversy surrounding the Brazilian poster .
Created by artist Cristiano Suarez , the illustration depicts a middle-class family represented as clowns. They wear the national team's jersey, with a cross in place of the official emblem, and carry weapons. Tanks appear in the background and a favela burns in flames. A speech bubble reads, "I love the smell of dead poor people in the morning."
The band, however, requested the removal of the image from social media and released a statement: “Dead Kennedys is an iconic American punk band known for its political statements and takes a strong anti-fascist, anti-violence stance; however, the band feels it cannot presume to know enough about situations in other countries to comment on their specific politics. The released poster does not reflect a political statement or position of Dead Kennedys. The band's basic message has been, and still is, to ask people to think for themselves, not to tell them what to think.”
Following the controversy, Dead Kennedys canceled their shows in the country. In a statement on their social media, the group claimed that the reason for the cancellation was a matter of security.
Now, former vocalist Jello Biafra has given a statement, confirmed by the record label Alternative Tentacles, saying that the band broke up in 1986. Furthermore, he mentioned Marielle Franco and spoke about fascism.
See the statement below:
I'm in shock. I'm depressed. And first of all, how did they let all this happen? That's just one more reason (and there are many) why I don't want to play with those guys anymore, regardless of how many millions of dollars are offered. The band broke up in 1986.
I loved the poster art and thought the idea was SENSATIONAL. I feel honored whenever I can use something so wonderful (made with such seriousness!) for one of my projects. If I ever get a copy of this poster, I want to frame it and hang it in my living room or in the Alternative Tentacles office.
But what's the big problem? Of all the great political and anti-fascist art used to promote the Dead Kennedys over the years, this is the first time I've heard of these guys being against a political poster. Why this one? And why now?
Did fascist thugs really threaten the band and say there would be violence if the shows went ahead? Did they threaten the promoter and the venues? Or was someone worried that Bolsonaro supporters wouldn't buy enough band t-shirts at the shows?
In a recently deleted Facebook post, it was stated that they would not refund the ticket money to fans. Instead, they announced that they would donate the advance payments received to "charity" ($42,000 US DOLLARS!). The promoter just told me that he received the money back and now the fans who bought tickets will be reimbursed! YAY!
If the threats of violence against innocent fans were indeed true, well, that changes things.
I'm sure my former bandmates remember the terrible episode of violence that occurred when the real Dead Kennedys played in Leicester, England, in 1982. The real fascists of England [something like the country's Ku Klux Klan at the time] joined some roadies from The Exploited and attacked the show. I had to dodge them, Muhammad Ali style, for almost our entire set as they climbed onto the stage and tried to hit me. Dave from MDC ended up in the hospital with a cracked skull.
We also can never forget the pre-planned attacks by the police at various other shows, where completely out-of-control police officers swung their batons around hitting everyone [including Peligro] INSIDE the venues. And I'm not just talking about the Los Angeles Police Department.
But, “…The band feels they don’t have enough knowledge to talk about political issues in other countries.”?? Are you kidding me?!?!? This band has been to Brazil 2 or 3 times! What do they have to say then about “Holiday in Canbodia”? And about “Bleed For Me,” whose lyrics I wrote for the victims of the dirty wars in Latin America? Are they aware of the band's album covers? Have they ever in their lives read my lyrics in the album liner notes?
How is it possible that they have no idea what's happening in the rest of the world? We're all connected these days. East Bay Ray isn't a stupid person. I imagine, from the way the text was written, that he himself wrote the anti-Brazil poster statement. And I don't know if he showed the text to the other guys in the band before posting it.
Ray is a very well-educated person, always interested in reading, and is the only original member of the Dead Kennedys with an academic background. I remember him as a cultured person, always reading interesting and in-depth articles in The New Yorker . The recent April 1st edition featured a rather frightening article exposing Bolsonaro and his movement. But even before that, I'm 99% sure that Ray knew very well who Bolsonaro is – and what he represents.
Why do I know this? Because most Americans know, even those with half a brain functioning. I can't speak for Trump .
Yes, we are concerned about Brazil. Because we care about Brazil. And because we care about the world.
We fear for the situation of Brazilians. We fear for the Amazon. We fear for the indigenous tribes that could be massacred. We don't want any more innocent people to die like Marielle Franco . Yes, news of her assassination reached American news outlets.
And, my dear friends, we greatly admire and respect each and every one of you who has the courage to stand against Bolsonaro and his fascist, self-important supporters.
My band, The Guantanamo School of Medicine , will not be able to come to Brazil for a while. We are currently recording and there are internal matters that require our attention right now.
But know that you are in our hearts.
You have not been forgotten.
You are not alone.
"FUCK FASCISM"
