Julian Casablancas elaborates on controversial Zionism remarks in Oxford Union speech

The Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas has clarified his viral comments on “American Zionists.”

During a viral interview on the SubwayTakes YouTube series in April, Casablancas made a provocative statement, saying that “American Zionists get the benefits of white privilege people, but talk like they are Black people during slavery.”

The show’s host, Kareem Rahma, fully endorsed the remark, arguing that Zionists claim victimhood while attending weddings in Tel Aviv even as more than 80,000 civilians, including women and children, have died less than a half‑mile away.

Casablancas later added a historical context, noting that even violent slave rebellions did not justify the immorality of slavery, and juxtaposing that with contemporary conflicts.

In a subsequent appearance at the Oxford Debate Society on May 28, Casablancas provided a fuller explanation of his views. He emphasized that the core issue was “expansion,” describing it as the primary driver behind “greater Israel” rather than mere nationalism or love for the country.

“You can love England and want it to be safe without wanting it to control India, for example,” he observed, adding that “the greater America project is insane to me, but I don’t feel the need to be defensive because I’m American. I can say reparations, large reparations, are far overdue.”

He continued, arguing that many so‑called peace activists often resort to narrow talking points—such as blaming Netanyahu or merely affirming Israel’s right to exist— which, whether accidental, can come across as supporting Jewish and white supremacy, acting as a “dog whistle” to those striving for genuine equality.

Casablancas then differentiated between “green liners,” who accept internationally agreed borders for Israel, and “expansionists,” whom he described as “the good old settler types just shooting at Palestinians and taking homes daily.” He said his moderate Jewish friends view the expansionists as “kind of crazy” and that he aligns with the green liners.

Addressing the semantic confusion, he explained that the term “Zionist” is overly broad and that, in hindsight, he should have distinguished “settler‑style Zionist expansionists” from “good‑hearted indoctrinated moderates.” He noted that the latter’s “victim language” often masks the white‑privilege advantages they enjoy, while acknowledging the intense pressure to deliver a controversial take for the interview.

“Okay. So I was not talking about my friends who say Israel has a right to exist,” he clarified. “Even though to them I would lovingly say all the Arab countries and the world has agreed on set borders for a very long time. It can live in peace, but Israel didn’t want it because they want to expand.”

Watch the full speech below.

Casablancas has long been outspoken on Israel and Gaza, having signed a 2021 open letter supporting Palestinian rights and urging a boycott of performances in Israel.

A few days earlier, The Strokes closed their second Coachella set with a politically charged visual montage. The display highlighted leaders the band claimed were overthrown by the CIA and featured Martin Luther King Jr. alongside the statement, “US Govt found guilty of his murder in civil trial.” It also showed footage of rubble in Iran with the caption “over 30 universities destroyed in Iran,” and a clip of the “last university in Gaza” being struck by an air missile.

In a 2024 interview with NME, Casablancas discussed the billionaire class, stating that their primary weapon is distraction, a “long, complicated, indirect chain of exploitation” that makes it difficult to pinpoint responsibility.

“What bums me out is people love to talk on a daily basis about the distractions that are being fed to us and I’m just so over it and so fed up with it. I don’t know if it’s the convenience or the cosiness and the professional fonts of a nice newspaper, or the magical Superman lights of CNN but the fact we can’t unchain ourselves from this song or [stop being] hypnotised by this nonsense is the biggest challenge and biggest confusion I have.”

The Strokes are preparing to release their new album ‘Reality Awaits,’ their first full‑length record in six years. Recorded in Costa Rica with producer Rick Rubin and finished in several global locations, the album is set for release on July 24 via Cult Records/RCA Records.

The group has also announced a worldwide tour covering the UK, North America, Europe, and Japan. It marks their first full UK and Ireland tour in over two decades, with venues including London’s O2 Arena, Newcastle’s Utilita Arena, Manchester’s Co‑op Live, and Dublin’s 3Arena in October.

Source link