British duo Sleaford Mods have built a status as a political group, but they disappointed a lot of people when they seemed shocked at the idea of taking a stand on the issue of Israel’s weeks-long bombardment of Gaza. Earlier this month, Sleaford Mods ended a Madrid show short after someone threw a Palestinian scarf onstage. On Twitter, singer Jason Williamson write, “Don’t be asking me to pick sides for something I ain’t got any real idea about, at a gig.” Now, the group appears to be changing its tone a bit.

In a new statement, Jason Williamson writes that he wants to give “some context” for what happened in Madrid. He says that the group left the stage after repeated “interruptions” from someone in the crowd, which he found “distracting and upsetting.” He also writes, “I don’t have the answers,” and he joins the growing crowd of people requesting a ceasefire in Gaza: “There needs to be a meaningful ceasefire. The slaughter needs to stop.” Here’s the full statement.

“I’m horrified by the atrocities committed in Gaza and Israel and I’m horrified by the atrocities committed elsewhere in the world that are not in the current news cycle. I’m angry about the manipulation of human grief and rage by politicians, the media, agitators, and social media platforms to stoke the fire of separation, dehumanization, division and hate…I walked off stage after 80 minutes as the cumulative effect was distracting and upsetting”

-Jason.

Williamson writes that his tweet in the aftermath was made to apologize to those at the show. He wishes for a meaningful ceasefire and peace in the Middle East.

#nomorekilling #meaningfulceasefirenow pic.twitter.com/k8LF0cU2Yc

— Sleaford Mods (@sleafordmods) November 13, 2023