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On Friday, the iconic English rock band Radiohead voiced strong disapproval towards the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after discovering their song was used in a video memorializing victims of crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants.
Radiohead released a statement to various media outlets, expressing their discontent with the use of their track “Let Down” in a pro-ICE video. This incident adds to a growing list of artists opposing the unauthorized use of their music in similar contexts.
“We demand that those handling the ICE social media accounts remove this video immediately. This is not a joke; this song holds significant meaning for us and many others, and we will not allow it to be misappropriated without taking action. Also, go f— yourselves… Radiohead,” the band stated, as reported by NBC News and other sources.
The contentious video released by ICE features portrait images of individuals claimed to be victims of violence by illegal immigrants, set against a choral version of “Let Down.”
In a tweet accompanying the video, ICE wrote, “Thousands of American families have been torn apart because of criminal illegal alien violence. American citizens raped and murdered by those who have no right to be in our country. This is who we fight for. This is our why.”
DHS deputy assistant secretary Lauren Bis did not say whether the agency would honor the request to remove the video, but instead told Fox News Digital and other news outlets, “We fight for the Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, Rachel Morin, Katie Abraham and countless other American victims of illegal alien crime. Where is the compassion for the mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters of Americans who have been brutally raped and murdered by criminal illegal aliens?”
This is not the only incident in which Radiohead has objected to the use of their music for a political video.
In early February, Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood and film director Paul Thomas Anderson requested that the “Melania” documentary remove a song they asserted was used without Greenwood’s permission.
A statement from Greenwood’s representative claimed that the film used his song “Barbara Rose” without consulting Greenwood.
“It has come to our attention that a piece of music from ‘Phantom Thread’ has been used in the ‘Melania‘ documentary,” the statement to Variety said.
“While Jonny Greenwood does not own the copyright in the score, Universal failed to consult Jonny on this third-party use which is a breach of his composer agreement. As a result, Jonny and Paul Thomas Anderson have asked for it to be removed from the documentary.”
Fox News Digital contacted ICE and Radiohead and did not receive an immediate reply.