"I claimed identity as Jewish musicians for political reasons, because most of us were touring in Germany and, at this time, twelve years ago, there was a strong resurgence of Nazism in the places we were touring and part of that was on the music scene"
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Ribot’s line lands like a deliberate stage move: identity not as private essence, but as a chosen amplifier. He’s describing a moment when touring isn’t just gig logistics; it’s a cultural battleground where the crowd, the clubs, and the posters can quietly decide who belongs. By “claiming identity as Jewish musicians for political reasons,” he frames Jewishness as a public signal - not to monetize authenticity, but to force a moral confrontation in a scene flirting with historical amnesia.
The timing matters. “Twelve years ago” places us in the early 2010s, when far-right aesthetics and rhetoric were re-entering European public life with a grim remix: coded nationalism, “heritage” talk, and subcultural pipelines that often run straight through music. Ribot’s emphasis that the resurgence was “in the places we were touring” makes it concrete. This isn’t a distant headline; it’s the room you’re playing tonight, the promoter you’re trusting, the chants outside.
Subtext: he’s refusing the musician’s classic alibi of neutrality. In a live setting, silence can read as consent, and ambiguity can be weaponized by reactionaries looking for cultural cover. Claiming Jewish identity becomes an act of anti-fascist clarity: it dares the audience to locate themselves in relation to a living community, not a museum tragedy.
There’s also a tactical intelligence here. Musicians can’t out-legislate extremists, but they can poison the vibe extremists depend on - the sense that they’re normal, inevitable, welcome. Ribot is describing art as boundary-setting, not escapism.
The timing matters. “Twelve years ago” places us in the early 2010s, when far-right aesthetics and rhetoric were re-entering European public life with a grim remix: coded nationalism, “heritage” talk, and subcultural pipelines that often run straight through music. Ribot’s emphasis that the resurgence was “in the places we were touring” makes it concrete. This isn’t a distant headline; it’s the room you’re playing tonight, the promoter you’re trusting, the chants outside.
Subtext: he’s refusing the musician’s classic alibi of neutrality. In a live setting, silence can read as consent, and ambiguity can be weaponized by reactionaries looking for cultural cover. Claiming Jewish identity becomes an act of anti-fascist clarity: it dares the audience to locate themselves in relation to a living community, not a museum tragedy.
There’s also a tactical intelligence here. Musicians can’t out-legislate extremists, but they can poison the vibe extremists depend on - the sense that they’re normal, inevitable, welcome. Ribot is describing art as boundary-setting, not escapism.
Quote Details
| Topic | Human Rights |
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