The Division of Homeland Safety has as soon as once more posted a social media video that was eliminated following a DMCA takedown request. The publish, shared by DHS on October twenty third, was faraway from X/Twitter after utilizing MGMT’s 2017 music “Little Darkish Age.”
Nonetheless, the clip, captioned “Finish of the Darkish Age, starting of the Golden Age,” stays up on Instagram and Bluesky. Set to a slowed-down remix of the music, the video exhibits footage of federal brokers arresting ICE protesters in Portland, Oregon.
“Little Darkish Age” was launched because the lead single from MGMT’s 2018 album of the identical identify. As Gizmodo factors out, the monitor has been co-opted by neo-Nazi and white supremacist circles lately. A 2021 report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue discovered it was “by far the preferred sound amongst extremist creators on TikTok,” usually utilized in movies referencing American Nazi Social gathering founder George Lincoln Rockwell and “esoteric nazism.”
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That is one other occasion of DHS and different creators lacking the purpose of a music fully. “Little Darkish Age” options lyrics like, “Policemen swear to God, love seeping from their weapons/ I do know my associates and I’d most likely flip and run,” which instantly criticize police violence.
In an announcement shared with Gizmodo, DHS vehemently denied connection to extremist utilization or intent: “Simply since you don’t like one thing doesn’t make it Nazi propaganda — that is bottom-barrel ‘journalism.’ MGMT’s ‘Little Darkish Age’ is wildly well-liked on either side of the political spectrum. Go outdoors, contact grass, and get a grip.”
DHS has not too long ago run afoul of a number of copyright holders. JAY-Z and The Remedy have individually issued DMCA takedown requests towards the company over their respective songs “Public Service Announcement” and “Friday I’m in Love.”
Podcaster Theo Von, who interviewed Donald Trump earlier than the 2024 election, additionally ripped DHS for utilizing a clip from his present with out permission, main to a different publish being eliminated.
Even The Pokémon Firm has needed to step in, clarifying that it didn’t authorize DHS to make use of its imagery and anime theme music in an ICE arrest video publish.
