Michele Eve Sandberg/Corbis via Getty ImagesDeath from Above's Jesse Keeler has denied he is involved in the so-called "alt-right" in response to a Medium post questioning the musician's relationship with Gavin McInnes, a large figure in the movement and founder of the Proud Boys, a far-right men's organization.
The post's author links to Keeler's appearances on McInnes' podcast, and a photo of Keeler and McInnes together during Election Day last November. Additionally, McInnes referred to Keeler as a "Proud Boy" in a since-deleted article.
Keeler has posted a statement on Facebook in response, saying that while he does know McInnes, any report that he's a "Proud Boy" is "completely false." He says he became "loosely associated" with McInnes in the early 2000s due to McInnes' position as a co-founder of VICE magazine. Keeler says he kept in touch with McInnes even as he saw people "distance themselves" from him, because Keeler wanted to give McInnes the "benefit of the doubt."
"When he started a video podcast and invited me on as a guest, I obliged," Keeler writes. "When he invited me to his talk-show and a party on election night last year, regrettably, I attended. Never without a morbid curiosity."
Keeler adds that, after the election, he "began noticing that Gavin was promoting violence and a form of radical politics that I absolutely do not agree with."
"I have always been anti-war and anti-violence," Keeler writes. "As far as immigration and nationalism: I am the child of an Indian mother and a Canadian father."
"The reality is that I am not 'Alt-Right,' nor a White Supremacist," Keller declares. "The facts are I am a mixed race father of two and a musician. I am so sorry for putting my family, friends and fans in this position."
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