The Strokes frontman calls out 'US Zionists' on SubwayTakes

The Strokes' lead singer Julian Casablancas slammed the "white privilege" of Zionists in the https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/us">United States during an extended episode of the viral online talk show SubwayTakes.

On board the New York City subway for comedian Kareem Rahma’s programme, where guests declare and defend their oft-humorous, sometimes serious "takes", the band’s frontman shared a series of opinions, from light-hearted views on banning long voice notes and modern cars being "just the worst", to more sober takes, including one which he says might "end his career".

"American Zionists get the benefits of white privileged people, but talk like they are Black people during slavery," he argues in his fourth and final take in thehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3j2X4kLxTo"> extended version of the interview published on YouTube on Tuesday. 

"One hundred percent agree," Rahma responds. "I've never seen something so shocking, where they are like, 'I'm so oppressed'.

"I'm like, 'you're going to a wedding in Tel Aviv right now when there are 80,000-plus dead people, including women and children half a mile away," he adds, referring to the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed during https://www.middleeasteye.net/countries/israel">Israel's ongoing https://www.middleeasteye.net/topics/israel-genocide-gaza">genocide in the Gaza Strip. "Absolutely fucked, and, you know what?

I don't think it's bad to say that."  

Casablancas then responds to arguments often made by defenders of Israel's assault, including the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attacks on the country, by making an analogy to Native American and slave rebellions in the Americas, which he argues “were violent” but "didn't mean it was okay to do what we did... and didn’t mean slavery is not bad".

When delving deeper into his take on American Zionism, Casablancas adopts a more sympathetic tone, saying he "can’t be mad" at those with ingrained views, blaming "indoctrination" and the "brainwashing" of people who had information "rammed down their throat". 

Ending on a more optimistic note, the rock star says that "people are awakening" when asked if he is hopeful for the future.

Casablancas praised

Online, thousands of social media users showered praise on Casablancas for his comments.

"This should be the baseline of how we talk about Zionism and their myths of contemporary oppression that they use to justify unrestrained violence and genocide," https://twitter.com/SanaSaeed/status/2046796780780605705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">commented media critic Sana Saeed.



"There’s no nuance in the case of the murderers versus the murdered, the slave versus the slave master."

The Strokes went viral over the weekend afterhttps://www.middleeasteye.net/trending/the-strokes-coachella-set-criticising-us-foreign-intervention-goes-viral"> closing their set at Coachella with imagery and text denouncing US foreign interventions. 

"What side you standing on?" sang Casablancas as the screen behind him displayed the last standing university in Gaza, al-Israa University, being destroyed by Israeli forces in 2024. 

A video montage displayed footage referencing historical instances of US foreign intervention, including political leaders whose overthrow or deaths have either been confirmed or thought to be tied to the CIA as the band performed their 2016 song "Oblivius". 

Launched in 2023, Rahma’s informal online talk show has attracted almost one million subscribers on YouTube and millions of followers on social media.

He has hosted celebrity guests like Ramy Youssef and Cate Blanchett, politicians like then-New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, and up-and-coming artists and comedians.



Landing photo: US singer/songwriter Julian Casablancas from The Strokes performs on the Coachella stage during the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on 11 April 2026 (Valerie Macon/AFP)