The chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission has called for the cancellation of a string of upcoming Australian shows by former Pantera frontman Philip Anselmo over his “neo-Nazi and antisemitic sentiments”.
Currently in Australia with his band The Illegals, Anselmo is scheduled to play a number of gigs starting on Thursday in Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney, Newcastle and Hobart.
Dvir Abramovich’s call comes after New Zealand venues this week cancelled two of Anselmo’s upcoming shows, following Friday’s terror attack in which 50 people were massacred in two Christchurch mosques.
The New Zealand concerts were cancelled because of concerns over white supremacy comments made by Anselmo in 2016.
“In the aftermath of Christchurch, he should not be performing here,” Dr Abramovich said in a statement.
“At a time when we are all grieving and mourning for the lives lost in Christchurch, it would be profoundly hurtful and simply unacceptable to host a singer in our country who has expressed neo-Nazi and antisemitic sentiments by using the abominable white supremacist gesture.”
During a court appearance on Saturday, the man charged over the Christchurch mosque shootings, 28-year-old Australian Brenton Harrison Tarrant, made a white power gesture.
Before Friday’s terror attack, Tarrant also uploaded and shared a 73-page manifesto that contained white supremacist views.
Anselmo was filmed in 2016 ending a performance at a music festival in Los Angeles with a Nazi salute and a shout of “white power” while walking off stage.
According to the BBC, Anselmo claimed at the time it was an “inside joke” and he had been talking about the white wine he was drinking that had supposedly been served to performers at the gig.
The band then pulled out of a festival in France and a number of other European shows, with Anselmo issuing a filmed apology on YouTube.
“It was uncalled for. And anyone who knows me and my true nature knows that I don’t believe in any of that; I don’t want to be part of any group,” he said at the time.
“I am so sorry, and I hope you just … man… just give me another chance. I love all of you.”
The metal community widely condemned Anselmo for his remarks, particularly as he had been linked with racism in the past, The Guardian reported.
Anselmo was questioned on MTV in 1994 about allegedly racist lyrics, and his reported refusal to condemn fans who shouted “white power” at Pantera gigs.
A year later he supposedly criticised rap artists for “pissing all over white culture”, while in 2015 said he regretted including the Confederate flag as part of the artwork on an album released by his band at the time, Superjoint Ritual.
Superjoint Ritual’s song, Stealing A Page Or Two From Armed and Radical Pagans, includes lyrics referring to “coward Mohammeds” and “Jewish elitists”.
Machine Head frontman Rob Flynn uploaded a video after the 2016 incident outlining his criticism of Anselmo.
He panned Anselmo’s white wine excuse for the salute and “white power” comment, saying white wine was not served to performers at the show.
“It this was Chad from Nickelback, if this was Justin Bieber, if this was Tom Brady, if this was Lars f***ing Ulrich … heads would roll,” he said.
According to The Guardian, Flynn said Anselmo had been making racist comments backstage and mouthing the words “white power” while Flynn was on stage.
Anselmo and his band arrived on Tuesday at Kingsford Smith Airport, according to his Instagram account.
Soundworks Direct, which is bringing the band to Australia as part of the Thrash Blast Grind tour, was contacted for comment.
They announced three new shows on Thursday as part of the tour, after a number of the gigs sold out.
The ABC also contacted the venues where the band will be playing, but none were available to comment or to confirm whether the gigs would be going ahead.