Saddam bin Laden joins Punks Against Apartheid!

[07/08/26 IG Repost]

We are so excited to announce our newest signatory from California, so-called “US”, @saddam_bin_laden_punk !

As they explain in their membership statement, SbL is a lo-fi political punk duo channeling inter-generational resistance to Zionism & solidarity with other indigenous struggles through their music. Funnily enough, PAA & SbL’s connection goes back to 2011 during our campaign to stop Jello Biafra from playing in Tel Aviv (see our website for more info!), so we are over-joyed at this ‘re-acquaintance’! We are also excited to keep expanding our work & campaigns in this region, so keep your eyes on this space!!

Ultimately, whenever a new artist joins PAA–big or small–it is a reminder getting organised as musicians and as workers is *always an end in and of itself*! We come together because of our Palestine solidarity but we are able to achieve so much more together than apart. As we say: FROM BOYCOTT TO AUTONOMY!

And as always… FREE FREE PALESTINE!!

Image with a faded kuffiyeh pattern in the background overlaid with text & image blocks. On top, it reads ‘Announcing!’ diagonally overlaid in white on a black strip, and below, two circular logos outlined in white on their own black strip. The one on the left is a circular logo with Arabic text that reads صدام بن لادن with an image of a rocket being fired from a truck. The one on the right is the Punks Against Apartheid logo, which shows a fist with a spikey bracelet punching through the apartheid wall & the text ‘PUNKS AGAINST APARTHEID’ around the circle’s edge.
Saddam bin Laden is a lo-fi political punk project born out of the Palestinian diaspora. My family was forcibly displaced from Yaffa during the Nakba in 1948. Today, I admittedly live as a settler on stolen land in the so-called Inland Empire of California, and I acknowledge and honor the unceded homelands belonging to the Tongva, Maara'yam, and Cahuilla, the first peoples of these ancestral territories currently under occupation by the United States government.
What started as a solo project became a two-piece band thanks to a supportive and romantic partnership. We are unapologetically anti-Zionist and opposed to settler colonialism. Our commitment to LANDBACK has led us to work with tribal organizations supporting Indigenous sovereignty and we are active members of local organizations that work collectively towards Palestinian liberation.
We are inspired by PAA and their commitment to the shared goal of dismantling the Zionist entity. We encourage others to join this growing network and help strengthen the collective efforts! We look forward to collaborating on targeted mutual aid and supporting the cultural BDS movement through the boycott of apartheid Israel.
While we recognize that boycotts and fundraising are only part of the broader struggle for Palestinian liberation, they remain tangible ways to support Palestinian community organizations and families as they continue to navigate the ongoing genocide. We stand in solidarity with our brxthers and sxsters, and we will return justice to where it has been stripped away. UNTIL LIBERATION AND RETURN!
A photo of a drummer shouting into a mic in the background in front of a large cut-out map of Palestine and a big banner with text that is not readable. In foreground, a bassist wearing a kufiyyeh. Below, a long horizontal banner depicting a punk mosh pit, with large red squiggly letters depicting PUNKS AGAINST APARTHEID on top, and a punk giving the finger on the right saying ‘racism ain’t punk.’