The Strokes concluded their set at the second weekend of Coachella with a politically charged video montage. The video, played during their performance of 'Oblivius' for the first time in a decade, accused the CIA of enforcing regime change through political violence and ended with footage of Israel bombing Gaza and the United States bombing Iran.
The video alleged CIA involvement in the deaths of foreign political figures, including Panama's Omar Torrijos, Guatemala's Jacobo Árbenz, and Ecuador's Jaime Roldós Aguilera. It also gave voice to the conspiracy theory that the US was involved in the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Footage of recent bombings in the Middle East was captioned 'Over 30 universities destroyed in Iran' and 'Last university standing in Gaza.'
Singer Julian Casablancas repeated the chorus line 'What side are you standing on?' until the video abruptly ended and the band walked off stage. The Strokes did not respond to requests for comment. During the first weekend of Coachella, Casablancas had joked about the military draft amid the Iran conflict.
Despite online speculation, there is no evidence that the video was cut short or that the band will be blacklisted from future lineups. Coachella did not comment on the performance. The protest video was shown in full on the festival's official livestream.
