Ashton Irwin addresses Confederate flag Lynyrd Skynyrd tee backlash

5 Seconds Of Summer drummer Ashton Irwin has taken to social media to address what many fans have begun debating as a controversial choice in attire.

The musician posed for a couple film camera shots Monday. He shared a handful of the images to his Instagram feed with the caption, “The momentary flame of my youth will burn out before I know it. So will yours, take a moment to love that you are young, take a moment to love that you’re alive.”

Read more: ‘School of Rock’ star arrested for stealing guitars four times

https://www.instagram.com/p/BumvoNgAww7/

The photographer, who goes by @kaykay on Instagram, shared an additional photo from what is presumed to be the same shoot on her story.

At first glance, nothing seems too out of the ordinary as Irwin sits at a table. However, many 5SOS fans immediately took issue with what Irwin had on his shirt.

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The drummer is seen sporting a Lynyrd Skynyrd tee, but it wasn’t the band that fans were concerned with but rather the large Confederate flag featured on it. Lynyrd Skynyrd themselves have received quite a bit of backlash regarding their use of its imagery, so it was certainly to be expected.

Many were quick to point out why they took issue with Irwin wearing anything with the Confederate flag on it.

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And some pointed out that this has allegedly happened before with one of his bandanas in 2014.

https://twitter.com/MlDNlGHTANGEL/status/1102866053221113859

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However, some were quick to defend the drummer, reminding others that the band hail from Australia and might not realize the flag’s history.

https://twitter.com/plzcallmeemilio/status/1102956026356207616

Irwin addressed the comments being shared about his shirt after a fan posted the Wikipedia article giving the flag’s history.

“Hey! This was a mistake and I didn’t realize that this shirt had a flag on it. Apologies.”

Read more: 5SOS fans support Ashton Irwin following the Chainsmokers tour backlash

This is the second time Irwin has had to defend himself in the past month. After announcing their forthcoming tour with the Chainsmokers, 5 Seconds Of Summer came under fire. Additionally, 5SOS drummer Ashton Irwin was allegedly been urged by “fans” to relapse with self-harm following the tour announcement.

After receiving a plethora of nasty comments on an Instagram post shared yesterday, Irwin opted to turn the comments off. However, according to a 5SOS update and fan account, the drummer had pretty good reason to do so.

Read more: 5 Seconds of Summer announce tour with the Chainsmokers

In a series of tweets, the user alleges that other followers were telling Irwin to relapse. While much of the fandom does not support the band’s decision to go on tour with the Chainsmokers, they have now denounced potentially toxic behavior within the community in regards to Irwin’s mental health.  

I was just notified that fans were telling him to relapse because of this,” the Twitter user says.  “YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF. It is absolutely DISGUSTING to tell ANYONE that. and ASHTON of all people don’t deserve it. I actually feel sick to my stomach. I am ashamed to be part of the same fandom.”

However, Irwin received an outpouring of support following the alleged comments. Since Irwin turned off the comments on his Instagram post, the hashtag “#WeStandWithAshtonIrwin” began trending on Twitter in the United States.

5SOS recently recorded a song with the Chainsmokers. You can listen to “Who Do You Love” and check out their full list of dates below with tickets available here.

Dates

09/25 — Cincinnati, OH @ U.S. Bank Arena
09/27 — Boston, MA @ TD Garden
09/28 — Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun Arena
09/29 — University Park, PA @ Bryce Jordan Center
10/03 — Detroit, MI @ Little Caesars Arena
10/04 — Chicago, IL @ United Center
10/05 — St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
10/08 — Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
10/09 — Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
10/11 — Pittsburgh, PA @ PPG Paints Arena
10/12 — Buffalo, NY @ KeyBank Center
10/13 — Columbus, OH @ Schottenstein Center
10/15 — Washington, DC @ Capital One Arena
10/17 — Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
10/20 — Nashville, TN @ Bridgestone Arena
10/22 — Atlanta, GA @ State Farm Arena
10/24 — Miami, FL @ AmericanAirlines Arena
10/25 — Tampa, FL @ Amalie Arena
10/26 — Orlando, FL @ Amway Center
10/29 — New Orleans, LA @ Smoothie King Center
10/31 — Dallas, TX @ American Airlines Center

11/01 — Austin, TX @ Frank Erwin Center
11/02 — Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
11/06 — Louisville, KY @ KFC Yum! Center
11/07 — Indianapolis, IN @ Bankers Life Fieldhouse
11/08 — St. Louis, MO @ Enterprise Center
11/09 — Madison, WI @ Coliseum at Alliant Energy Center
11/12 — Milwaukee, WI @ Fiserv Forum
11/14 — Oklahoma City, OK @ Chesapeake Energy Arena
11/15 — Kansas City, MO @ Sprint Center
11/16 — Wichita, KS @ INTRUST Bank Arena
11/19 — Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
11/21 — Salt Lake City, UT @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
11/23 — Phoenix, AZ @ Talking Stick Resort Arena
11/24 — San Diego, CA @ Viejas Arena
11/26 — Los Angeles, CA @ The Forum
11/29 — San Francisco, CA @ TBA
12/01 — Sacramento, CA @ Golden 1 Center
12/03 — Tacoma, WA @ Tacoma Dome
12/05 — Portland, OR @ Moda Center
12/06 — Vancouver, BC @ Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena

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