Jesse Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal

Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes is no stranger to controversy. In the aftermath of the 2015 terror attack on Paris’ Bataclan, during which 89 concert-goers were murdered while attending an EODM show, Hughes questioned whether the attack was “an inside job.” He also criticized France’s strict gun control laws, arguing that such laws actually encouraged an attack. “Did your French gun control stop a single person from dying at the Bataclan? If anyone can answer yes, I’d like to hear it, because I don’t think so,” Hughes said at the time.

Now, Hughes has taken to Instagram to criticize this weekend’s student-led protests against gun violence and their calls for increased gun regulation. One posting features an image that equates gun regulation to a man cutting off his penis to prevent rape. “The Whitney Houston song about letting the children lead the way wasn’t actually had operating paradigm for life,” he wrote in the caption, adding: “And when the truth don’t line up with your bullshit narrative just hold your breath and stamp your feet and refused to except it…. then take multiple days off of school playing hooky at the expense of 16 of your classmates blood….!…. it might be funny if it wasn’t so pathetic and disgusting……”



“As the survivor of a mass shooting I can tell you from first-hand experience that all of you protesting and taking days off from school insult the memory of those who were killed and abuse and insult me and every other lover of liberty by your every action,” Hughes continued. “Long Live Rock’n’Roll….. and may everyone of these disgusting vile abusers of the dead live as long as possible so they can have the maximum amount of time to endure their shame….and be Cursed….”

In another posting, he shared a photoshopped image of student protester Emma González ripping a copy of the US Constitution. (The actual photo depicts González ripping a gun range target, but the image has since been manipulated and spread among right wing groups.)

Hughes wrote of González: “Behold……the Awful Face Of Treason…..survivor of Nothing….Lover of Treason…..enjoy your little moment…..it’s about to End…… #stupidity #hatersofliberty #loversofsatan #borntolose #2ndamendment”

A third image shared by Hughes opens with a frame of a pill bottle labeled, “Pills That Are Hard to Swallow.” In the second frame, a hand is holding three pills, each of which contains a different caption: “Our guns aren’t going anywhere”; “There are only 2 genders”; and “Donald Trump will be your president for 7 ore years.” In the accompanying Instagram caption, Hughes warned “moronic dingdong headed losers” that he would report any threats made against him to the FBI.

And in a fourth posting, Hughes shared a pro-Second Amendment patch. “I can tell you right now that the actions of these misguided youth and evil communists is making me feel terrified… with every broadcast of a willing and complicit press I feel the wall of security that the Constitution provides being taken down bit by bit…..,” he wrote.

We reached out to representatives of Hughes and Eagles of Death Metal for additional comment.

Update: Hughes has deleted all four postings, but you can see screengrabs of them below.

Jesse Hughes is TRASH pic.twitter.com/QlVpMNiA4n — KO (@katiealiceolsen) March 26, 2018

https://twitter.com/EmbryEthan/status/978100792358969344/photo/1

EODM's Jesse Hughes posted these two images along with a doctored photo of #EmmaGonzalez ripping up the Constitution https://t.co/cVLnG26qga pic.twitter.com/xBx1szdP2R — Consequence of Sound (@consequence) March 26, 2018