David Draiman has sanctimoniously weighed in on the 68th annual Grammy Awards. In other news, water is wet.
The frontman of Disturbed and noted bomb signer and genocide cheerleader took to social media following the awards show, stating:
“Good morning, everyone.
I was disappointed, to say the least, after watching the GRAMMY Awards last night — and there were many great moments and many great performances.
I was disappointed that not a single person decided to say anything about what’s happening in Iran, about the Iran massacre. About the fact that tens of thousands of innocent people have been slaughtered, shot after their protests in hospital beds, hunted down, mercilessly, repressed.
You are supposed to be against repression. You are supposed to be for freedom. You are supposed to be for human rights, right? Well, the Iranian people deserve your compassion. They deserve your concern. They deserve your focus, and you gave them none of it, and it’s embarrassing for all of you. I’m not arguing against your respective causes, I’m not even voicing my opinion on them. Everyone’s entitled to a voice. Everyone’s entitled to an opinion. But why? Why wasn’t there a single voice on behalf of the Iranian people? Well, they wouldn’t speak for you. I will.
Women, life, freedom, free Iran.”
Of course, David Draiman is referencing the much talked about protests that have gone on in Iran, though at this point it should be noted that the staying power of them has dwindled. Much of the reporting on Iran during the escalation of protests and unrest at the start of 2026 by Western outlets has been speculative, without direct connections to on-the-ground reporting or analysis from people even anywhere near the nation itself. Some outlets claim the protests were entirely organic, others outside of the United States point to influence from western intelligence and covert operations agencies.
The fact can be stated that there was significant violence, and historic tensions that have been unmatched in decades on the streets, mostly due to deteriorating economic conditions. Draiman and many others that stand for oppression in Gaza and the West Bank in occupied Palestine call for solidarity for the civilians in Iran, but ironically do not call for the ending of U.S. sanctions on the country, which are predominately the culprit of deteriorating conditions within the nation according to many analysts not aligned with regime change in the region.
Setting that aside, regardless of the views of any celebrity, musician, activist, etc. on Iran, Draiman's statements on his outrage are beyond stupid for a simple reason: U.S. dollars, influence, and cultural impact are not the driving force of the protests. Activists and musicians have spoken out about DHS, the Trump administration, and ICE brutality because it is done in Americans' names with American tax dollars. People protest, boycott, and call to action against the genocide in Gaza and the ethnic cleansing and apartheid in the occupied West Bank by Israel because it is funded by American tax dollars, supported by American diplomacy, and is literally carried out with U.S. weapons and infrastructure. Activists and musicians (admittedly, ashamedly less so) speak out, boycott, and protest over the genocide and rampant violence in Sudan because the United States sends funds, support, and weapons to the United Arab Emirates, who facilitate the slaughter of people en masse.
The United States doesn't fund Iran. It strangles it. So ironically, per Draiman's absurd statement, what they could call for at the Grammy's is getting rid of all sanctions on Iran to better the lives of Iranians. That IS the influence the United States could have in a positive light. But once again, Draiman is far more concerned with deflecting from his gleeful, sadistic support for mass slaughter at the hands of Israel and the United States and wants to pretend that a completely separate issue, with its own history and vastly different material relationship to the people attending the Grammys this past weekend, is the appalling neglect of those in the limelight.
There are countless reasons to critique people that attend these wealthy, elite awards shows. Wealth hoarding, material connections of the labels and event vendors to horrific human rights abuses, and largely ignoring pressing issues save for a few soundbites and clips. But when someone like Mr. Draiman speaks out, it is to deflect. It is to diminish the real impact people with public platforms can have to do something about atrocities connected directly to their own nation state. It's a smug, pathetically incoherent, and outright stupid attempt to pretend to be principled while being an insurmountable piece of shit.
And you have to hand it to David Draiman, he stays consistent day in and day out on that front.
