The Amity Affliction vocalist slams Trump supporter from stage over T-shirt
At their show last evening in Las Vegas, the Amity Affliction’s vocalist Joel Birch took the mic to call out a fan who was wearing a Trump jersey.
Birch then tweeted about the incident, defending his words he used at the show.
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“What I said tonight was much more balanced than I could have been, and wanted to be,” Birch says in a Twitter thread. “Just like I wouldn’t wear an atheist tee to church, I expect people to exercise a certain decorum when attending our shows. Music has forever been a safe haven for me, and I want our shows to be a safe haven for others.”
Birch went on to explain what he thinks the jersey represents to minority communities. He says that Trump branding is similar to that of a swastika.
“You can believe whatever you want to believe while you are outside the venue, but don’t you DARE bring your negative energy inside to intimidate and cause discomfort to others,” Birch says. “I love Amity fans, they give us this unique and beautiful opportunity to play music, but I WILL NOT stand for people jeopardizing the happiness of others, and ruining their experience at one of our shows. To put it simply, you are not welcome.”
You can read the entire thread below.
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A safe haven for others. These shows are no different to church; we sing together, we pour our hearts out, we use it as an escape from the reality of our everyday lives, and it brings us together. Wearing a jersey that you KNOW will be divisive is exactly the opposite
— Joel Birch (@JoelDTD) January 6, 2019
You can believe whatever you want to believe while you are outside the venue, but don’t you DARE bring your negative energy inside to intimidate and cause discomfort to others. I wish you didn’t like our band. I wish you hadn’t come to the show. I wish you could see the hurt
— Joel Birch (@JoelDTD) January 6, 2019
People jeopardizing the happiness of others, and ruining their experience at one of our shows. To put it simply, you are not welcome.
— Joel Birch (@JoelDTD) January 6, 2019
Following Birch’s tweets, the Trump supporter then tweeted back at the Amity Affliction frontman.
This is the guy. As you can see, a level headed speech followed by a level headed tweet lands me being called a loser, asshole, and libtard. This is why you’re not worth time. I won’t even bother blocking you, as you’re so determined to argue that you make new accounts. https://t.co/3GT25BksSd
— Joel Birch (@JoelDTD) January 6, 2019
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After Birch’s stage speech, Silent Planet shared their experience with the Trump supporter. According to a tweet, the same fan yelled at them over their “heal us” shirts.
tonight a dude sporting a trump tee got pissed about our “heal us” shirt and start screaming in anger about us being “cucks” which kinda made my night. glad we brought those back
I think he got pissed about a rad speech that @JoelDTD gave on stage. so hey let’s rock. Thanks Vegas— Garrett Russell (@SilentGarrett) January 6, 2019
The Amity Affliction are currently on tour with Senses Fail and Belmont. After Bad Omens pulled from the tour, the three bands welcomed Silent Planet. Check out a full list of the remaining dates below and get your tickets here.
Dates
01/04 – Anaheim, CA @ House Of Blues
01/05 – Las Vegas, NV @ Brooklyn Bowl
01/06 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Van Buren
01/08 – Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Live!
01/09 – Houston, TX @ House Of Blues
01/11 – New Orleans, LA @ The Joy Theater
01/12 – Orlando, FL @ House Of Blues
01/13 – Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum
01/15 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
01/16 – Charlotte, NC @ The Underground
01/18 – Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
01/19 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
01/20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall
01/22 – New York, NY @ Playstation Theater
01/24 – Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
01/25 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Theatre
01/26 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
01/27 – Cleveland, OH @ House Of Blues
01/29 – St. Louis, MO @ Delmar Hall
01/30 – Chicago, IL @ Concord Music Hall
02/01 – Denver, CO @ Summit
02/02 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
02/04 – Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
02/05 – Portland, OR @ Crystal Ballroom
02/07 – Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spaces
02/08 – Santa Cruz, CA @ The Catalyst
02/09 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent
What do you think about clothing’s implications in public spaces? Sound off in the comments below.