PHIL ANSELMO APOLOGY FOR RACIST ACTIONS, ANTHRAX SCOTT IAN SAYS BEHAVIOR “VILE”

That was Phil Anselmo issuing an apology for racist remarks and actions he made after a performance at Dimebash, a metal star studded concert honoring the memory of his bandmate in Pantera, Dimebag Darrell, who was brutally murdered onstage over a decade ago. His Nazi salute and screams of “White Power” were not easy to miss and a firestorm brewed in the metal community when videos of his behavior appeared online.

Anselmo said that he’s not a racist in his YouTube apology.

Scott Ian of Anthrax, a Jew, who Anselmo idolized as a youth, had a scalding take on Phil’s actions. In a statement on his website, scott-ian.com he said: “Friends, Hate speech. Racism. Inflammatory rhetoric. All dangerous no matter what the context. I have ZERO TOLERANCE for any of this and to not speak out against them is as dangerous as the acts themselves. Philip’s actions were vile and that should be the focus here, anything else is just noise. Philip has apologized and I would like to offer him the opportunity to really show how much he loves everyone by making a donation to the Simon Wiesenthal Center.”

The Simon Wiesenthal center is dedicated to fighting anti-semitism and holocaust deniers while at the same time defending the safety of Jews worldwide.