The mother of Gene Simmons survived the Holocaust, and the KISS bassist, along with 170 black and Jewish leaders from the entertainment industry, launched the Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance, a joint initiative by black and Jewish entertainment industry professionals devoted to countering racism and anti-Semitism in the entertainment community.’ In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, Simmons spoke on the subject of racism in America. “Yes, [America is] racist,” Simmons said. “Yes, it’s anti-Semitic. And yet, here in America, there are no limits. You can have an African American president, you can also have the alternate — a semi-racist, semi-extremist president — but anything’s possible. Which is why I still worship the idea of America: it can get better and it will get better. People think of Martin Luther King, making great advancements for African Americans and just kind of smashing the door open to deal with it, And you’ve got to deal with this thing. We’ve got to get along and stop treating African Americans, especially, so horribly in America. Racism has got to stop.”
Simmons had previously told the Daily Mail that society should take a hardline approach to those spreading hate. “It is going to get better but you’ve got to confront it,” he said. “You’ve got to turn on the light and go after those cockroaches. And don’t just chase them out. Find out where they live. Identify them, make their lives miserable — legally. Shine the light on that cockroach. The guy with his drunken buddies hurling racial epithets, take photos of him. This guy’s name is so-and-so and he lives right outside of Manchester and works in this garage. Guess what the garage is gonna do? They’re going to fire his *ss right away, because they don’t want the attention of hiring a hate-monger.”
Simmons also praised Donald Trump for opening dialogue between Arab nations and Israel, but he also condemned him for “the hatred he spewed as a world leader. He was the fuel for the fire that enabled these extremists to storm the White House. Without a president like that in charge they wouldn’t dare. Cockroaches hide until they see a big one in the middle of the room.”
- Ex-KISS Guitarist Says “Missed Opportunity” At Band’s Finale Was “Terrible” - May 16, 2024
- Marilyn Manson Is Officially Back - May 15, 2024
- Former Bad Wolves Frontman Arrested - May 15, 2024
