The Offspring drummer Pete Parada claims the band have forced him out over his refusal to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Parada, who has played with The Offspring since 2007, has alleged the other members of the band had ditched him as he had refused a coronavirus jab for medical reasons.
In a post on Instagram, he wrote: “Since I am unable to comply with what is increasingly becoming an industry mandate, it has recently been decided that I am unsafe to be around, in the studio, and on tour … you won’t be seeing me at these upcoming shows.”
He claimed he had received a doctor’s advice not to take the vaccine, due to his “personal medical history and the side-effect profile of these jabs,” citing a longstanding issue with Guillain Barré Syndrome, a nervous disorder that is listed as a very rare side-effect of the vaccine, as the reason behind his refusal.
He added that he had “no negative feelings towards my band. They’re doing what they believe is best for them, while I am doing the same.”
However, he went on to criticise efforts to coerce reluctant people into getting their shots, adding: “There are countless folks (like me) for whom these shots carry a greater risk than the virus … I need to state, unequivocally, that I support informed consent – which necessitates choice unburdened by coercion.
“I do not find it ethical or wise to allow those with the most power (government, corporations, organisations, employers) to dictate medical procedures to those with the least power.”
The Offspring have not publicly commented on Parada’s statement. They are due on stage at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium on Sunday.
Parada’s exit from The Offspring leaves frontman Dexter Holland and guitarist Noodles as the only longstanding full members of the group
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