About Us

Punks Against Apartheid's logo - *nearly final version!*

Punks Against Apartheid is an emerging global network of musicians, artists, and activists inspired by the history and ethics of punk rock. We are opposed to all forms of oppression, exploitation and racism–particularly the Israeli apartheid regime and its colonial terror. The policies of the Israeli government both in the Occupied Territories and within “Israel proper” towards Palestinians qualify as apartheid, straight up. We aim to support the Palestinian struggle against it by any means at our disposal.

We urge all artists–especially punks!–to heed the call from the Palestinian people for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel. We refuse to play in Israel in violation of the Palestinian call for cultural boycott and we refuse to lend our voices to any event seeking to whitewash the reality of apartheid. Punk has had an important and vibrant history in politicizing its listeners and forming a distinct counter-cultural message against the complacency of mainstream, industry music. During the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, punk bands around the world responded to the call for solidarity. As punks and people inspired by this legacy, we hope to maintain the integrity of that history by expressing our unwavering support for Palestinian resistance to the occupation and convincing our fellow punks to do so as well.