Anti-Flag's Justin Sane: Punk for Peace

By Jake Sexton

"Amnesty International has been an inspiration to Anti-Flag since the band's inception. Anytime we are able to marry our work with the work of Amnesty International we are very excited. Amnesty's efforts give a voice to the voiceless and bring light to darkness. Amnesty's letter writing campaigns give every person the opportunity to participate in activism and to combat injustice. Because of the efforts of Amnesty International, against all odds, numerous political prisoners have been set free; and many more have been inspired in the face of great opposition and oppression to stand up for freedom and equality."
- Justin Sane, Anti-Flag

The punk crusaders of Anti-Flag have been blasting their love and fury into eardrums since the early 1990s, alerting us that the world is in danger, and that we have to do the saving. Their songs cover some heavy topics, from poverty to police brutality to chemical warfare (with a sprinkling of simple, fun jams as well). Through their shows, lyrics, and activism, Anti-Flag invites their fans to unite as a family of music-lovers, and as a passionate movement for justice.

Anti-Flag singer/guitarist Justin Sane has a very clear vision of human rights, one grounded in everyday experience:

"All humans have the inalienable right to be born free and equal, to live without the fear of want, need, or persecution. This means that the most basic human rights include access to food, shelter, medical care, and education, in an environment free of warfare or intimidation, where all people have the opportunity to be heard and counted."

Justin founded Anti-Flag at a young age, but we were surprised that he's been a member of Amnesty International for even longer. "I first learned of Amnesty International in high school from a teacher," he says. "I loved the fact that the efforts of Amnesty International gave me the opportunity to be involved in activism that produced tangible results, sometimes very quickly, as a result of simply writing letters." The band has played several benefit shows for local Amnesty chapters across the country, and distributes information about Amnesty at venues where the band is performing.

Given his upbringing, it might have been impossible for Justin not to become a musician. Due to his parents' strong Irish roots, Justin was constantly listening to Irish music in the home. "Most of the kids in my family played instruments so we almost had our own little Irish band made up out of family members!" he laughs.

He inherited some of his family's politics as well. "My parents were social/political activists, working on everything from local campaigns to stop the use of dangerous pesticides in our neighborhood, all the way up to bigger issues such as the civil rights movement, anti-nuclear movement, etc. I grew up going to all kind of demonstrations and rallies."

From there, his musical life made the logical transition. "It just made sense that I was drawn to political punk rock because it married my love of music and politics. A lot of political punk bands were also the people organizing against injustice and working for positive change in our community and around the country," he says. "While there are no set of written rules or dogma that one must follow to be punk, an overwhelming majority of people in the punk community embrace human rights as a core value of the scene. That is largely why I was attracted to it in the first place. The idea of treating people with respect, treating others as you would like to be treated, is something I've always been inspired by within the punk scene."

In the late 1990s, Anti-Flag added to their musical menu; in addition to their raw anthems about persistent social ills like corruption and racism, they began to write and perform songs that were like newspaper headlines. These songs were almost journalism, about controversies and crises that were occurring right now. Your average Anti-Flag album had become more informative (and certainly more fun to listen to) than an hour of CNN.

Following up on this drive to inform the public, Anti-Flag founded the organization Underground Action Alliance (UAA) in 2003. "The overall goal of the UAA is to empower people by giving them information. Once armed with knowledge people have the opportunity take action and stamp out injustice." Justin is particularly proud of the organization's Student Rights Handbook that they put together in conjunction with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Justin points out that many people seem to think that students have no rights of any kind, that once they enter the schoolyard they must be silent and compliant. The UAA Handbook proves that this is just a myth.

In 2004 Anti-Flag also founded Military Free Zone, an organization aimed at encouraging young people not to join the armed forces. This spring, the band scored a victory against chemical weapons, helping promote legislation that would investigate the dangers of depleted uranium weapons.

Anti-Flag takes strong stances on many current human rights issues. On their 2006 spring tour, the band asked fans at every show to sign an Amnesty International petition on behalf of prisoner of conscience Helen Berhane. Several months after the band's tour came to an end, Berhane was released! Upon hearing this news, Justin said on behalf of the band, "We are excited to learn that the petition signing from this past year's tours helped generate additional interest and Helen Berhane's eventual release. This is a tremendous start and there is not enough praise that can be given to Amnesty International for their work in bringing musicians together to fight as one for human rights. However, there is more that must to be done to stop inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners. There are still tens of thousands of wrongfully imprisoned humans that need our help. "

The band has also denounced US human rights' policy in the War on Terrorism. "We have been directly involved in supporting the rights of the hundreds of people being held at the US Military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba," he says. "Anti-Flag strongly endorses the recommendations made by the UN, that the Gitmo prison be shut down and its detainees charged and given access to a fair trail or be set free."

Even with all of their political action, the band somehow finds time to be a band. In 2006 they released their latest album, "For Blood and Empire"--which continues to decry and expose political corruption and senseless war-- and are preparing to hit the road again for their "War Sucks, Let's Party" tour. While hoping that they love the music, Justin also hopes that his audience takes home the band's simple message: "We encourage everyone who listens to Anti-Flag to see through artificial barriers such as flags, international borders, religion, skin color, sexual orientation, gender, and to see all people for what we are, human beings. We encourage all to unite around our common humanity."