Myanmar punk band Rebel Riot hold press conference to apologize for insulting religion

Well this was a very interesting read.

Both Coconuts Yangon and Frontier Myanmar websites have published articles regarding Myanmar punk band Rebel Riot‘s recent photo that was uploaded on to their facebook page which promptly received a huge backlash for apparently insulting Buddhism.

Read both articles here to get a little bit of a background of what has taken place for the band and its members:

https://coconuts.co/yangon/news/punk-band-rebel-riot-apologizes-to-buddhist-supremacists-for-interfaith-photoshoot/

http://frontiermyanmar.net/en/punk-band-apologises-to-ma-ba-tha-after-photo-backlash

There are so many questions and thoughts concerning this…as far as punk goes, giving the middle finger to organized religion (and authority in general) goes part in parcel with this culture of independent thought. However, Asia is a complicated place with lots of culture and tradition that needs to be taken into account when listening in or learning about what bands in these areas face and the decisions they make. At the end of the day, you are not in Rebel Riot so all we can and should do is offer our encouragement and support. The band and anyone else who lives out here will always make the decisions that are best for them within the confines of the geopolitical situation within their borders.

Good luck Rebel Riot! You do what’s best for you guys!