THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT JOIN AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA FOR THE NEDA PROJECT
BAND’S NEW SONG “NEDA” AND ACCOMPANYING VIDEO
COMMEMORATE THE DEATH OF IRANIAN STUDENT NEDA AGHA-SOLTAN ON JUNE 8, 2009
ALL PROCEEDS FROM SALE OF NEW TRACK
TO BENEFIT AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA
WIDE VARIETY OF CELEBRITIES, ARTISTS
RESPOND IN SUPPORT OF THE BAND’S GRASSROOTS EFFORTS
Moved by the tragic story of Neda Agha-Soltan, the young Iranian woman who was murdered by government militia last year while participating in a peaceful protest against the disputed election of Mahoud Ahmadenijad, LA rock band THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT have partnered with Amnesty International USA for The Neda Project. The band wrote a brand-new song, entitled “Neda,” to commemorate her highly-publicized death. All proceeds from sales of the song, which is available now on iTunes, will go to Amnesty International USA.
They also created an accompanying web-based video that was released this week on the one-year anniversary of her murder.
The video has garnered an outpouring of support- in the form of reposting and comments- from a wide range of musical artists and celebrities, including Sting, the Dixie Chicks, OK Go, Cold War Kids, Ghostface Killah, NeYo, Carson Daly, Alyssa Milano, Oscar-winning film director Paul Haggis and many others.
Many artists who have also been touched by the band’s cause have responded to their call to participate and lend their platform to the movement, by uploading photos of themselves with a sign stating the now-popular Iranian slogan “I am Neda” to www.nedaspeaks.org. The photos, along with The Airborne Toxic Event’s music video for “Neda,” are being shared via the Internet with people all over the world, showcasing the power and potency of this grassroots movement.
Nazanin Boniadi, an actress and spokesperson for Amnesty International USA, said that the organization is “honored to be partnering with The Airborne Toxic Event on The Neda Project… It is our hope that this project, which was spearheaded by Airborne, turns into a global movement of likeminded people standing hand-in-hand against tyranny and injustice with a single goal in mind- freedom.”
The band’s goal for their continued involvement with The Neda Project is to make a statement of solidarity with the Iranian people in favor of the human rights that Neda has come to represent, and to remind people across the globe of their power to affect change in this modern, inter-connected world.