KISS’s Gene Simmons has hit out at anti-vaxxers, saying “if you’re willing to walk among us unvaccinated, you are an enemy”.
Speaking to Steve Harkins on Talkshoplive’s Rock N’ Roll Channel, Gene Simmons said: “I don’t care about your political beliefs. You are not allowed to infect anybody just because you think you’ve got rights that are delusional, of course,” he added, taking aim at the people who are refusing the COVID vaccine because they believe it impacts on their civil rights.
“You don’t have the right to go through a red light. The government has the right to tell you to stop,” he continued. “If they tell you you can’t smoke in a building, you can’t smoke in a building. And that’s not because they want to take away your rights, it’s because the rest of us hate it!”
Gene Simmons: “If you’re willing to walk among us unvaccinated, you are an enemy.” pic.twitter.com/3cGtYq8sKC
— PatriotTakes 🇺🇸 (@patriottakes) November 12, 2021
He added: “This delusional, evil idea that you get to do whatever you want and the rest of the world be damned is really terrible. We’ve gotta identify those people and bring them out into the open so you know who they are. Know who your friends are by how much they care about you.”
In August, Simmons supported the idea that the COVID vaccine should be mandatory and criticised “evil, self-serving politicians” who he says are “more interested in getting re-elected than actually saving lives”.
Earlier this year, KISS were forced to postpone several shows after Simmons and Paul Stanley tested positive.
“Everyone on the entire tour, both band and crew, are fully vaccinated,” KISS said in a statement. “The band and their crew have operated in a bubble independently to safeguard everyone as much as possible at each show and in between shows.”
The glam rock band denied that lax COVID protocols were responsible for the death of long-time guitar tech Francis Stueber, who passed away last month.
KISS claimed that their protocols “met, but most often exceeded” guidelines at a national and local level while on the US leg of their farewell End of the World tour. However, some crew members have disputed that adequate measures were in place