View source for Political views and activism of Rage Against the Machine

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[[File:Rage Against The Machine burns the American flag onstage (1999).jpg|250px|thumb|Rage Against the Machine [[flag desecration|burning]] the American flag at [[Woodstock '99]]]]
The '''political views and activism of Rage Against the Machine''' ('''RATM''') are central to the band's music and public image. [[Rage Against the Machine]] is an American [[Rock music|rock]] band formed in Los Angeles in 1991. The band's line-up consisted of vocalist [[Zack de la Rocha]], bassist and backing vocalist [[Tim Commerford]], guitarist [[Tom Morello]], and drummer [[Brad Wilk]]. Critics have noted Rage Against the Machine for its "fiercely [[Music and politics|political music]], which brewed sloganeering [[Left-wing politics|left wing]] rants against corporate America, [[cultural imperialism]], and government oppression into a [[Molotov cocktail]] of [[punk rock|punk]], [[hip hop music|hip-hop]], and [[thrash metal|thrash]]."<ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|last=Ankeny|first=Jason|title=Rage Against the Machine&nbsp;– Biography|url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p23206/biography|pure_url=yes}} |website=[[AllMusic]]|year=2004|access-date=September 8, 2008}}</ref>
Integral to their identity as a band, Rage Against the Machine often voiced strong criticism of the domestic and [[Foreign Policy of the United States|foreign policies]] of the [[Federal Government of the United States|US government]]. The band and its individual members participated in political protests and other activism throughout its existence, and the band saw its music primarily as a means of spreading ideas. De la Rocha explained that "I'm interested in spreading those ideas through art because music has the power to cross borders, to break military sieges, and to establish real dialogue."<ref name="Juice">Wooldridge, Simon (February 2000), "[http://musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/juice00.htm Fight the Power", ''[[Juice Magazine]]''. Retrieved October 6, 2007.</ref>
== EZLN ==
[[File:Ejército Zapatista de Liberación Nacional, Flag.svg|thumb|The "black flag and a red star" of the [[Zapatista Army of National Liberation]], referenced in the track "War Within a Breath" (1999)]]
The band were vocal supporters of the [[Zapatista Army of National Liberation]] (EZLN), especially [[Zack de la Rocha|De la Rocha]], who has taken several trips to the Mexican state of Chiapas to aid their efforts. The flag of the EZLN serves as the primary recurring theme in the band's visual art. [[Tom Morello]] described the EZLN as "a guerrilla army that represents the poor indigenous communities in southern Mexico" and praised its leader, [[Subcomandante Marcos]], in an interview.<ref>[http://musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/jjj.htm Tom Morello interview] on [[Triple J]], October 31, 1999.</ref> An interviewer was once told by De la Rocha, "Our purpose in sympathizing with the Zapatistas is to help spark [real] dialogue."<ref name="Juice" />
{{blockquote|It is important for me, as a popular artist, to make clear to the governments of the United States and Mexico that despite the strategy of fear and intimidation towards foreigners, despite their weapons, despite their immigration laws and military reserves, they will never be able to isolate the Zapatista communities from the people in the United States... Through concerts, videos, interviews, broadcasting of information at concerts, and our songs' lyrics, we have placed within reach of young people, our audience, and the experiences of the Zapatistas; we act as facilitators of the ways in which they can participate and put them in contact with the organisation and the Zapatista support committees in the United States.<ref name="chiapas">"[http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/chiapas.htm Interview with Zack from Chiapas]" (July 19, 1998), ''Accion Zapatista de Austin''. Retrieved October 6, 2007.</ref>}}
The EZLN and De la Rocha's experiences with them inspired the songs "[[People of the Sun]]", "Wind Below," and "Without a Face" from ''[[Evil Empire (album)|Evil Empire]]'',<ref name="chiapas" /> and "War Within a Breath" from ''[[The Battle of Los Angeles (album)|The Battle Of Los Angeles]]''.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
The EZLN flag was used as a stage backdrop at all of the band's shows from their reunion in April 2007 to their final show in August 2022.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
Zack de la Rocha asked their record label, [[Epic Records]], for $30,000 to donate to the EZLN.<ref name="musicfanclubs2">{{cite web |title=the complete RATM site |url=http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/prop.htm |access-date=June 26, 2012 |publisher=Musicfanclubs.org}}</ref> It is not known if they complied.
== 1991–2000: First tenure ==
=== ''Saturday Night Live'' incident ===
{{more citations needed section|date=January 2021}}
On April 10, 1996, the band was scheduled to perform two songs on the [[NBC]] comedy variety show ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''. The show was hosted that night by [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] ex-presidential candidate and multi-millionaire [[Steve Forbes]]. According to Morello, "RATM wanted to stand in sharp juxtaposition to a billionaire telling jokes and promoting his [[flat tax]] by making our own statement."<ref name="SNL">Anon., [http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/snl.htm Saturday Night Live Incident], public release and distribution. Retrieved November 12, 2007.</ref>{{Unreliable source?|sure=y|reason=Source is unreliable fan blog|date=January 2021}}
To this end, producer [[Brendan O'Brien (record producer)|Brendan O'Brien]] suspended two upside-down [[Flag of the United States|American flags]] from their amplifiers.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} Seconds before they took the stage to perform "[[Bulls on Parade]]", ''SNL'' and NBC sent stagehands in to pull the flags down.<ref>{{cite web |title=Rage Against the Machine |url=http://www.esquilax.com/flag/ratm.shtml |access-date=March 16, 2008 |work=The Flag Burning Page}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|sure=y|reason=Source is unreliable fan blog|date=January 2021}} The inverted flags, says Morello, represented:
{{Blockquote|Our contention that American democracy is inverted when what passes for democracy is an electoral choice between two representatives of the privileged class. America's [[freedom of speech|freedom of expression]] is inverted when you're free to say anything you want to say until it upsets a corporate sponsor. Finally, this was our way of expressing our opinion of the show's host, Steve Forbes.<ref name="SNL"/>{{failed verification|date=January 2021}}}}
The band's first attempt to hang the flags during a pre-telecast rehearsal on Thursday was stopped by ''SNL''{{'}}s producers, who "demanded that we take the flags down", according to Morello. "They said the sponsors would be upset, and that because Steve Forbes was on, they had to run a 'tighter' show." ''SNL'' also told the band it would mute objectionable lyrics in "[[Bullet in the Head (song)|Bullet in the Head]]" (which was supposed to be RATM's second song), and insisted that the song be bleeped in the studio because Forbes had friends and family there.<ref name="SNL" />{{Unreliable source?|sure=y|reason=Source is unreliable fan blog|date=January 2021}}
On the night of the show, following the removal of the flags during the first performance, the band was approached by ''SNL'' and NBC officials and ordered to immediately leave the building. Upon hearing this, bassist [[Tim Commerford]] reportedly stormed Forbes' dressing room, throwing shreds from one of the torn down flags.{{Citation needed|date=November 2009}}
Morello noted that members of the ''Saturday Night Live'' cast and crew, whom he declined to name, "[e]xpressed solidarity with our actions, and a sense of shame that their show had censored the performance".<ref name="SNL" />{{Unreliable source?|sure=y|reason=Source is unreliable fan blog|date=January 2021}}<ref name="officialfaq">{{cite web |title=Rage Against the Machine FAQ |url=http://www.ratm.de/faq/ragefaq.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060526032423/http://www.ratm.de/faq/ragefaq.html |archive-date=May 26, 2006}}, [[Internet Archive]] cache of FAQ on the official Rage Against the Machine website. Retrieved February 17, 2007.</ref>
=== Radio Free L.A. ===
''Radio Free Los Angeles'' was a radio show held by the band on January 20, 1997, the night of [[Bill Clinton]]'s second [[United States presidential inauguration|inauguration as President]].<ref>{{cite web |date=January 20, 1997 |title=Radio Free L.A.&nbsp;– Mon, Jan 20, 1997 |url=http://www.mediacast.com/Calendar/97-01-20/Radio_Free_L.A./ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100102023511/http://www.mediacast.com/Calendar/97-01-20/Radio_Free_L.A./ |archive-date=January 2, 2010 |access-date=July 18, 2010 |publisher=Mediacast.com}}</ref> The show comprised segments and interviews featuring [[Michael Moore]], teen rights activist [[Emily Hodgson (activist)|Emily Hodgson]], [[Leonard Peltier]], [[Chuck D]], [[Mumia Abu-Jamal]], [[Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees|UNITE]], [[Noam Chomsky]], [[Amy Ray]] of the [[Indigo Girls]], and [[Subcomandante Marcos]] of the Zapatistas.<ref name="rfla">{{cite web |title=Radio Free L.A. |url=http://www.ratm.com/new2/radiofree.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071125090129/http://www.ratm.com/new2/radiofree.html |archive-date=November 25, 2007}} at RATM.com</ref> These were intercut with musical performances by Morello, De la Rocha, [[Flea (musician)|Flea]] and [[Stephen Perkins]] playing different versions of Rage songs, as well as [[Beck]] and [[Cypress Hill]] playing their own songs. The band organized and played the show in response to the [[1996 United States presidential election|re-election of Clinton]]:
{{blockquote|That election had resulted in one of the lowest voter turnouts in the history of the country, as more and more Americans came to realize that their government was not in their hands, but in the hands of big business. Radio Free L.A. provided a musical and political gathering point for the majority of Americans—and young people especially—who rightly felt left out of the 'democratic process.'<ref name="rfla"/>}}
The two-hour show was syndicated by over 50 commercial U.S. radio stations<ref name="timeline" /> and streamed live from the band's website. Transcripts of the interviews are freely available online.<ref name="chomsky">{{cite web |title=On Democracy, Noam Chomsky interviewed by Tom Morello |url=http://www.chomsky.info/interviews/1996summer.htm |access-date=August 5, 2008 |publisher=chomsky.info}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=the complete RATM site |url=http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/fire.htm |website=www.musicfanclubs.org}}</ref>
=== "Sleep Now in the Fire" video shoot ===
On January 26, 2000, filming of the [[music video]] for "[[Sleep Now in the Fire]]" caused the doors of the [[New York Stock Exchange]] to be closed and the band to be escorted from the site by security.<ref name="greenleft">{{cite web |date=March 15, 2000 |title=Rage against Wall Street |url=http://www.greenleft.org.au/2000/397/24186 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012080309/http://www.greenleft.org.au/2000/397/24186 |archive-date=October 12, 2007 |access-date=September 8, 2008 |work=[[Green Left Weekly]] #397}}</ref> Directed by [[Michael Moore]], the video was shot on the steps of [[Federal Hall National Memorial]], across from the [[NYSE]] in downtown [[Manhattan]]. The band invited fans to join them in the shoot and approximately 300 showed up.<ref name="musicfanclubs1">{{cite web |title=rage: Articles/Interviews |url=http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/socwork00.htm |access-date=June 9, 2010 |publisher=Musicfanclubs.org}}</ref> After the breakdown of the shoot, the band members, along with many of their fans, stormed the doors of the NYSE. De la Rocha was shoved away from the entrance after briefly entering through a side door.<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web |last=Basham |first=David |date=January 28, 2000 |title=Rage Against the Machine Shoots New Video With Michael Moore&nbsp;— News Story &#124; Music, Celebrity, Artist News &#124; MTV News |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1433553/20000128/rage_against_the_machine.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120604203423/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1433553/20000128/rage_against_the_machine.jhtml |archive-date=June 4, 2012 |access-date=June 9, 2010 |publisher=Mtv.com}}</ref> They then succeeded in forcing the NYSE to lock its doors during the middle of the trading day.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sleep Now In The Fire |url=http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/mikes-letter/sleep-now-in-the-fire |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100115010352/http://michaelmoore.com/words/mikes-letter/sleep-now-in-the-fire |archive-date=January 15, 2010 |access-date=June 9, 2010 |publisher=MichaelMoore.com}}</ref>
After the incident, Morello was quoted saying, "Our protest stopped trading at the stock exchange for the last two hours of the day. I guess we stopped [[Layoff|downsizing]] for at least a couple of hours."<ref name="musicfanclubs1" /> Footage of enthusiastic Wall Street employees [[headbanging]] to the music, police attempting to take Commerford's bass as he refused to quit playing, and the emergency doors of the New York Stock exchange closing were all used in the final video. "We decided to shoot this video in the belly of the beast", said Moore, who was arrested during the shooting of the video: despite having a federal permit for the location, they did not have a sound permit.<ref name="greenleft" /> Only Moore was arrested in relation to the incident.<ref name="autogenerated2" />
The video was nominated at the [[2000 MTV Video Music Awards]] for [[MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video|Best Rock Video]]. After losing the award to [[Limp Bizkit]]'s "Break Stuff", Commerford climbed up the fake palm tree behind the podium and refused to come down. He then began shaking the set, which appeared as though it might collapse.<ref name="livedaily1">{{cite web |date=September 8, 2000 |title=Rage Bassist Pleads Guilty To Misdemeanor After Disrupting MTV Awards |url=http://www.livedaily.com/news/1777.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100205184255/http://livedaily.com/news/1777.html |archive-date=February 5, 2010 |access-date=June 9, 2010 |publisher=Livedaily.com}}</ref> Commerford was eventually coaxed down and was ultimately arrested after a brief scuffle;<ref name="livedaily1" /> his actions are widely believed to be the impetus for singer De la Rocha's exit and the end of Rage.<ref>{{cite web |year=2000 |title=MTV music awards 2000 |url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/2000/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180728165835/http://www.mtv.com/vma/2000 |archive-date=July 28, 2018 |access-date=May 15, 2010 |website=[[MTV]] |quote=His actions are widely believed to be the impetus for singer Zach De La Rocha's exit and the end of Rage.}}</ref>
=== 2000 Democratic National Convention ===
{{Further|2000 DNC protest activity}}
RATM played a free concert at the [[2000 Democratic National Convention]] in protest of the [[two-party system]]. The band had been considering playing a protest concert there since April that year.<ref name="dncrs">{{cite magazine |last=Asch |first=Andrew |date=August 15, 2000 |title=Rage Wage Battle of Los Angeles at DNC |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rageagainstthemachine/articles/story/5923647/rage_wage_battle_of_los_angeles_at_dnc |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071002091247/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/rageagainstthemachine/articles/story/5923647/rage_wage_battle_of_los_angeles_at_dnc |archive-date=October 2, 2007 |access-date=September 8, 2008 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> Although they were at first required by the [[Los Angeles, California#Government|City of Los Angeles]] to perform in a small venue at a considerable distance, early in August a [[United States district court]] judge ruled that the City's request was too restrictive and the City subsequently allowed the protests and concert to be held at a site across from the DNC.<ref name="dncrs" /> In response, the [[Los Angeles Police Department]] increased security measures, including a 12 ft fence and patrolling by a minimum of 2,000 officers wearing riot gear, as well as additional horses, motorcycles, squad cars and police helicopters.<ref name="dnccnn1">{{cite news |date=August 14, 2000 |title=Protest concert due tonight outside convention: Security tight in Los Angeles |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/08/14/campaign.protest.01/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007061904/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/08/14/campaign.protest.01/index.html |archive-date=October 7, 2007 |access-date=February 19, 2007 |work=[[CNN]]}}</ref> A police spokesperson said they were "gravely concerned because of security reasons".<ref name="dnccnn1" />
Footage of the protest and ensuing violence, along with an [[MTV News]] report on the incident, was included in the ''[[Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium#DVD release|Live at the Grand Olympic Auditorium]]'' DVD.
== 2007–2011: Second tenure ==
=== Iraq War, Fox News, and the "assassination" comments controversy ===
At the [[Coachella|Coachella 2007]] performance, De la Rocha made an impassioned speech during "[[Wake Up (Rage Against the Machine song)|Wake Up]]", citing a statement by [[Noam Chomsky]] regarding the [[Nuremberg Trials]] and subsequent actions by US presidents,<ref name="chomsky" /> as follows:
{{blockquote|A good friend of ours once said that if the same laws were applied to U.S. presidents as were applied to the [[Nazi Party|Nazis]] after World War II [...] every single one of them, every last rich white one of them from [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]] on, would have been hung to death and shot—and this current administration is no exception. They should be hung, and tried, and shot. As any war criminal should be.<ref name="reunionmtv">{{cite web | last=Moss | first=Corey |date=April 30, 2007 | title=Rage Against the Machine's Ferocious Reunion Caps Coachella's Final Night | work=[[MTV News]] | publisher=MTV.com | url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1558334/20070430/rage_against_the_machine.jhtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070502003923/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1558334/20070430/rage_against_the_machine.jhtml | url-status=dead | archive-date=May 2, 2007 | access-date=2008-09-08}}</ref>}}
A clip of De la Rocha's speech found its way to the [[Fox News]] program ''[[Hannity & Colmes]]''. An on-screen headline read, "Rock group Rage Against the Machine says Bush admin should be shot". [[Ann Coulter]], a right-wing commentator and a guest on the show, stated, "They're losers, their fans are losers, and there's a lot of violence coming from the left wing."<ref>{{cite web |date=May 4, 2007 |title=Rage Against Bush |url=http://www.spin.com/features/everybodystalkingabout/2007/05/070504_rage/ |access-date=May 15, 2007 |work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]}}</ref>
On July 28 and 29, Rage co-headlined the [[hip hop]] festival [[Rock the Bells]]. On July 28, they made a speech during their performance of "Wake Up" just as they had done at Coachella. During this, De La Rocha made another statement, defending the band from Fox News who he claimed had misquoted him:
On August 24, RATM played Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. They made another speech during "Wake Up".
{{blockquote|A couple of months back, we played this show at Coachella Pavilion. It was our first show back. I said a few things from the stage, and the next day Fox News ran this whole piece about us saying that the Presidents should be assassinated. But those fascists always get it wrong when they just want to pin a band in the corner for standing up. What we said was that the whole Bush Administration should be put on trial for war crimes and then hung and then shot, that's what we said.
But besides that it made me think about something. It made me think about what the fuck they are so afraid of. It made me think about what scares them. Is it really four musicians from Los Angeles who've got a point of view? Is it really just this music and these rhythms and these words? Is that what they're scared of? I thought I'd think about it and you know what? My conclusion is this: nah, they ain't scared of us, they're scared of you! They're scared of you! They're scared that you might come election time and throw Bush and Cheney and all them fascists out of power! That's what they're scared of!
And let me say this, that the Democrats are scared of you too! Because they know that you see through their bullshit too. Because when Bush was wiretapping, spying on citizens, torturing innocent people – they were supposed to be the people to defend us from them, and they didn't do shit! So the Democrats are scared of you too, why? Because they know they're coming to power and they're taking it all for granted, but they're scared because they know that if they don't fucking start pulling troops out of Iraq that you're going to go and burn down every office of every Senator that doesn't do the job.
Well I will say this, that the world is watching us now. The whole world is watching us. The brothers and sisters in South America who are dealing with this imperialist violence have got their eyes on us. Our brothers and sisters in Iraq got their eyes on us. Because we are the ones that are ... going to put an end to this nonsense. So Wake Up. Come on, Wake Up! Wake Up!<ref>{{cite web |title=Rage Against the Machine - 2007-08-24 Alpine Valley Music Theatre: East Troy, WI |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLqBA0_Ucgs&t=3411s |website=YouTube |publisher=tapeworm (48) |access-date=5 April 2024 |format=Audio |date=7 June 2022}}</ref>}}
Subsequently, De la Rocha added [[Tony Blair]], the UK Prime Minister who supported George Bush's [[2003 invasion of Iraq]], to the list of those who ought to be tried and hanged at the [[Reading and Leeds Festivals|Reading Festival]] on August 22, 2008. The [[Reading and Leeds Festivals]] organizer announced after the 2008 festival that De la Rocha had requested Friday and Saturday slots specifically so he could be back in the US for the Democratic and Republican conventions taking place in the week of the 25th.<ref>{{cite web |date=August 25, 2008 |title=Rage Against the Machine planning stunt for Republican Convention |url=https://www.nme.com/news/rage-against-the-machine/39228 |access-date=August 26, 2008 |work=[[NME]] |publisher=[[NME]].com}}</ref>
=== 2008 Republican National Convention ===
On September 2, 2008, during the [[2008 Republican National Convention|Republican National Convention]], Rage Against the Machine was scheduled to play a free show in protest of what De la Rocha called the power abusing party in [[St. Paul, Minnesota]] on the State Capital lawn for [[Ripple effect|Ripple Effect]]. Morello was asked by [[SuicideGirls]] to report what happened there. He said:
{{blockquote|[We] showed up at exactly the time we were scheduled to perform, and as soon as we got out of our vehicle we were immediately surrounded by riot police who told us if we approached the stage we'd be arrested for playing music. They said that we were not on a permit for the day's show. We produced the permit and showed them that none of the artists that had already been playing for the previous four hours, including [[Anti-Flag]] and [[Michael Franti]], none of the artists were listed on the permits. They just tried to use that as an excuse to stop us from playing. We were there right on time to play and they physically barred us from getting onto the stage because they were afraid of the music we were going to play.
On September 3, 2008, the band played a concert in [[Minneapolis]] at the [[Target Center]], on the second day of the Republican National Convention. The band surprised the crowd when they silently stood on stage while wearing orange Guantanamo Bay-like prisoner suits with black hoods over their heads. They opened up with "[[Bombtrack]]".<ref>{{cite news|author=Chris Rimenschneider |url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/27849149.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUsA |title=Rage goes off like a bomb at Target Center |newspaper=StarTribune.com |date=September 4, 2008 |access-date=June 9, 2010}}</ref> An impromptu demonstration spilled out into the streets afterwards. 102 people were arrested as riot police ended the gathering.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Rage Against the Machine Concert Ends in Protest, Arrests|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/09/04/rage-against-the-machine-concert-ends-in-protest-arrests/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908202640/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/09/04/rage-against-the-machine-concert-ends-in-protest-arrests/|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 8, 2008|date=September 4, 2008|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=December 21, 2009}}</ref>
[[File:2008-0903-RATM-pan02.jpg|600px|center|thumb|Rage Against the Machine performing at the Target Center during the 2008 Republican National Convention.]]
=== Rage Against Torture ===
In October 2009, Rage Against the Machine, along with members of [[Nine Inch Nails]], [[Pearl Jam]], [[R.E.M.]] and [[the Roots]] joined a campaign to close [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo Prison]], calling also for the declassification of military records regarding the use of music in torture.<ref name="thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com">{{cite news|last=Becker|first=Bernie|title=Musicians Protest Tunes Used in Interrogations|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/22/musicians-protest-tunes-used-in-interrogations/|work=The Caucus|publisher=The New York Times|date=October 22, 2009|access-date=December 5, 2009}}</ref> Based on reports that songs by Rage and Nine Inch Nails were used in torture at the controversial facility, the group is filing for further declassification under the [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|Freedom of Information Act]].<ref name="thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com" />
{{blockquote|Guantanamo is known around the world as one of the places where human beings have been tortured&nbsp;– from water boarding, to stripping, hooding and forcing detainees into humiliating sexual acts&nbsp;– playing music for 72 hours in a row at volumes just below that to shatter the eardrums. Guantanamo may be Dick Cheney's idea of America, but it's not mine. The fact that music I helped create was used in crimes against humanity sickens me&nbsp;– we need to end torture and close Guantanamo now.<ref>{{cite web|title=Rage Against Gitmo|url=http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2009/10/23/rage_against_gitmo|work=Passport|publisher=Foreign Policy|date=October 23, 2009|access-date=December 5, 2009}}</ref>}}
=== 2010 activism and censorship in Brazil ===
On October 9, 2010, RATM made its first gig in [[Brazil]] and played at the [[music festival]] [[SWU Music & Arts]] in [[Itu, Brazil|Itu]]. Despite sound problems and some flaws in the organization of the event, the first show on Brazilian soil had a major impact and has received good reviews.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www1.folha.uol.com.br/ilustrada/812605-falhas-tecnicas-de-som-e-seguranca-quase-estragam-a-festa.shtml |title=Falhas técnicas de som e segurança quase estragam a festa |newspaper= [[Folha de S. Paulo]] |date= October 10, 2010 |access-date=October 12, 2010}}</ref> Morello wore the cap of the [[Landless Workers' Movement]] (known in Brazil simply as ''MST'') during the performance of the song "[[Wake Up (Rage Against the Machine song)|Wake Up]]" and the band dedicated "[[People of the Sun]]" to that [[social movement]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://g1.globo.com/pop-arte/musica/swu/noticia/2010/10/rage-against-machine-injeta-furia-no-festival-swu.html |title=Rage Against the Machine injeta fúria no Festival SWU |publisher= G1|date= October 10, 2010 |access-date=October 13, 2010}}</ref> According to the Brazilian [[Independent Media Center]] and other [[alternative media]] [[Online newspaper|news websites]], the [[TV channel]] [[Multishow]], which had announced that would broadcast the full concert, [[Censorship|censored]] the broadcast cutting it short after only 35 minutes of its onset, at the exact moment when Morello put on a cap of the ''MST''. Instead of RATM's performance, the channel aired the erotic television show "Sexytime" that was expected to air 1 hour 25 minutes later.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2010/10/478678.shtml |title=Show do Rage Against the Machine censurado na Globo |publisher=[[Independent Media Center]] |date=October 11, 2010 |access-date=October 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015225732/http://www.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2010/10/478678.shtml |archive-date=October 15, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The channel claimed that the broadcast was interrupted due to technical problems after the public invaded the restricted area of the shooting crew;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vooz.com.br/noticias/swu-bone-do-mst-rouba-a-cena-em-show-do-ratm-47044.html |title=SWU: Boné do MST rouba a cena em show do RATM |publisher=Vooz |date=October 11, 2010 |access-date=October 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024142414/http://www.vooz.com.br/noticias/swu-bone-do-mst-rouba-a-cena-em-show-do-ratm-47044.html |archive-date=October 24, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://whiplash.net/materias/news_858/116625-rageagainstthemachine.html  |title=RATM: público do SWU invade área vip e show é interrompido |publisher= Whiplash.net |date= October 11, 2010 |access-date=October 12, 2010}}</ref> it has been difficult to confirm which version is true. However, it is undisputed that the praise singer De la Rocha made of the Brazilian Landless Workers' Movement was omitted from the Multishow Channel broadcast, and censorship has occurred at least in this respect.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,rage-energia-e-raiva,623330,0.htm |title= Rage: Energia e Raiva|newspaper= [[Estadão]] |date= October 11, 2010 |access-date=October 12, 2010}}</ref> On October 10 Morello stated on his Twitter account: "I understand the network cut away when I put on the PST hat. That means we're winning." And then corrected: "Of course that's MST, not PST. PST stands for Post São Paulo Triatholon."<ref>{{cite web|author=tmorello |url=https://twitter.com/tmorello |title=Tom Morello (tmorello) on Twitter |publisher=Twitter.com |access-date=November 15, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://prod.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2010/10/478662.shtml |title=Tom Morello:Fui censurado por colocar boné do MST! |publisher=[[Independent Media Center]] |date=October 11, 2010 |access-date=October 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110150931/http://prod.midiaindependente.org/pt/blue/2010/10/478662.shtml |archive-date=November 10, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Other activism ==
The band advocated for the release of convicted murderer, former [[Black Panther Party|Black Panther]] and [[life imprisonment]] inmate [[Mumia Abu-Jamal]], for whom they wrote and recorded the track "Voice of the Voiceless" for their 1999 album ''[[The Battle of Los Angeles (album)|The Battle of Los Angeles]]''. The band performed at a benefit concert, and all the proceeds were donated to the International Concerned Family and Friends of Mumia Abu-Jamal, and De la Rocha spoke before the [[United Nations Commission on Human Rights]] in support of Abu-Jamal.<ref name="zackun">{{cite book | last = Mciver | first = Joel | title = Nu metal&nbsp;– the Next Generation of Rock & Punk | publisher = Omnibus Press | location = London | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-0-7119-9209-2 }}</ref> The band also raised funds and awareness for political activist and convicted double-murderer [[Leonard Peltier]], and documented his case in the video for "[[Freedom (Rage Against the Machine song)|Freedom]]".
At a 1993 [[Lollapalooza]] appearance in [[Philadelphia]], the band stood onstage naked for 15 minutes with duct tape on their mouths and the letters ''PMRC'' painted on their chests in protest against censorship by the [[Parents Music Resource Center]].<span title="Image of PMRC protest available at this site."><ref name="velvetland">{{cite web |url= http://www.velvetland.org/music/MUSES/Rage_Against_The_Machine/home.htm |title= Rage Against the Machine |publisher= Velvetland.org |access-date= September 8, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081008042740/http://www.velvetland.org/music/MUSES/Rage_Against_The_Machine/home.htm |archive-date= October 8, 2008 |url-status= dead }} (Image of PMRC protest available at this site.)</ref></span> Refusing to play, they stood in silence with the sound emitted being only [[audio feedback]] from Morello and Commerford's amplifiers. The band later played a free show for disappointed fans.<ref name="moderndrummer">Micallef, Ken (March 1996), [http://www.musicfanclubs.org/rage/articles/drummer.htm Rage Against the Machine's Brad Wilk], ''[[Modern Drummer]]''. Retrieved February 17, 2007.</ref> Morello was arrested for civil disobedience in October 1997 during a union protest by garment workers and their supporters against the use of sweatshop labor by [[Guess?]]<ref name="timeline"/> Billboards subsequently appeared in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]] and New York featuring a photograph of the band with the caption "Rage Against Sweatshops: We Don't Wear Guess&nbsp;– A Message from Rage Against the Machine and UNITE (Union of Needletrades Industrial and Textile Employees). Injustice. Don't buy it."<ref name="timeline"/>
Some other controversial stands taken include that of the music video for the song "[[Bombtrack (song)|Bombtrack]]", in which RATM expresses support for the [[Peru]]vian [[revolutionary]] organization [[Shining Path]] and their incarcerated leader [[Abimael Guzmán]], sentenced for the [[1983 Lucanamarca massacre]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6050442.stm|title=Peru: The killings of Lucanamarca|date=October 14, 2006|via=news.bbc.co.uk}}</ref> and the [[Tarata bombing]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://andina.pe/ingles/noticia-peru-shining-path-leaders-get-life-imprisonment-over-tarata-bombing-case-724858.aspx|title=Peru: Shining Path leaders get life imprisonment over Tarata Bombing case|first=Empresa Peruana de Servicios Editoriales S. A. EDITORA|last=PERÚ|website=andina.pe|date=September 11, 2018 }}</ref> Over its career, the band played benefit concerts for organizations such as Rock for Choice, the [[Anti-Nazi League]], the [[United Farm Workers]], children's care organization Para Los Niños and [[Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees|UNITE]].<ref name="timeline">{{cite web |url=http://www.ratm.com/new2/timeline/index.html |title= Rage Against the Machine: A Time Line |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121222513/http://www.ratm.com/new2/timeline/index.html |archive-date=November 21, 2007}}, time line of RATM's career, official website. Retrieved February 19, 2007.</ref> 1994 saw the band organizing Latinpalooza, a joint benefit concert for the Leonard Peltier Defense Fund, and Para Los Niños. The band also raised funds for [[Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting]], the National Commission for Democracy in Mexico, Women Alive, and played at the [[Tibetan Freedom Concert]] on more than one occasion.<ref name="timeline"/> Album liner notes contained promotional material for [[AK Press]], [[Amnesty International]], the Committee to Support the Revolution in Peru, the Hollywood Sunset Free Clinic, [[Independent Media Center|Indymedia]], Mass Mic, [[Parents for Rock and Rap]], the Popular Resource Center, RE: GENERATION, [[Refuse and Resist]], Revolution Books, the ''[[Dave Marsh|Rock & Rap Confidential]]'', and [[Kathy Kelly#Voices in the Wilderness 1996-2003|Voices in the Wilderness]]. When the band headlined [[Reading Festival]] on August 22, 2008, Getafe Electric Festival on May 30, 2008, and the [[Pinkpop Festival]] on June 1, 2008, they came on stage to the sound of a prison [[klaxon]], dressed in orange prison jumpsuits with black sacks over their heads, presumably in reference to the conditions of prisoners at [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp|Guantanamo Bay]]. They remained silent onstage for around a minute until being led to their instruments and performing their opening song, "[[Bombtrack (song)|Bombtrack]]", still in the prison outfits.
In June 2010 De la Rocha stepped up his campaign to compel the state of Arizona to repeal its [[Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act|controversial immigration law]] by encouraging artists to boycott performing in the state. In addition, he has said they "are going to be organizing a series of concerts that are respectful of the nature of the boycott in its attempts to isolate the Arizona government but not isolate the people."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/957591/zack-de-la-rocha-ups-the-rage-against-arizona-immigration-law |title=Information Not Found |magazine=Billboard.com |access-date=July 18, 2010}}</ref> Rage Against the Machine performed in Los Angeles for the first time in 10 years on July 23, 2010, to protest the Arizona immigration law.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.noisecreep.com/2010/07/28/rage-against-the-machine-return-to-los-angeles-to-protest-arizona/ |title=Rage Against the Machine Return to Los Angeles to Protest Arizona Law |website=Noisecreep |date=July 28, 2010 |access-date=November 15, 2010}}</ref>
[[Paul Ryan]], the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[nominee]]<!-- Ryan becomes the nominee at the 2012 Republican National Convention, which then formally designates their candidates --> for [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] in the [[2012 United States presidential election|2012 election]]<ref>{{cite news |author=Rucker, Philip |author2=Balz, Dan |date=August 10, 2012 |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/hoping-to-hit-reset-romney-starts-bus-tour/2012/08/10/beb79fce-e318-11e1-98e7-89d659f9c106_story.html |title=Romney picks Paul Ryan as running mate |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=August 11, 2012}}</ref> has said that his favorite musicians are [[Ludwig van Beethoven]], Rage Against the Machine and [[Led Zeppelin]].<ref name=rage1>Briquelet, Kate. [http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/ryan_worked_his_way_up_to_big_cheese_UzroYJfqgfRDcDKXgljU0O "Paul Ryan worked his way up the political ladder following tough childhood] (August 12, 2012). ''[[New York Post]]''. Retrieved August 12, 2012.</ref><ref name=rage2>Gill, Martha. [http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/politics/2012/08/paul-ryan-hunts-catfish-his-bare-hands Paul Ryan hunts catfish with his bare hands] (August 12, 2012). ''[[New Statesman]]''. Retrieved August 12, 2012.</ref> Morello wrote an op-ed in ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' stating that "Paul Ryan's love for Rage Against the Machine is amusing, because he is the embodiment of the machine that our music has been raging against for two decades" and "You see, the super rich must rationalize having more than they could ever spend while millions of children in the U.S. go to bed hungry every night".<ref>{{cite news | first = Tom | last = Morello | title = Paul Ryan Is the Embodiment of the Machine Our Music Rages Against | date = August 16, 2012 | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tom-morello-paul-ryan-is-the-embodiment-of-the-machine-our-music-rages-against-20120816 | work = Rolling Stone Magazine | access-date = August 18, 2012}}</ref><ref>August Brown, [https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-tom-morello-rips-into-rage-against-the-machine-fan-paul-ryan-20120817,0,1273665.story Tom Morello rips Rage Against the Machine fan Paul Ryan] ''Los Angeles Times'' (August 17, 2012).</ref><ref>Natalie Jennings, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/election-2012/wp/2012/08/17/tom-morello-rages-against-paul-ryan/ Tom Morello rages against Paul Ryan] (August 17, 2012). ''Washington Post''.</ref>
During the band's [[Public Service Announcement Tour]] in 2022, the band announced they would donate $475,000 in ticket sale revenue to reproductive rights organizations in Wisconsin and Illinois,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-25 |title=Rage Against the Machine Donating Ticket Sales to Reproductive Rights Organizations |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/rage-against-the-machine-donating-ticket-sales-to-reproductive-rights-organizations/ |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref> and screened statements saying "abort the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]]" at their concerts, following the [[Overturning of Roe|overturning of ''Roe v. Wade'']] that restricted access to [[abortion in the United States]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-10 |title=Rage Against the Machine's Message at First Show in 11 Years: "Abort the Supreme Court" |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/rage-against-the-machines-message-at-first-show-in-11-years-abort-the-supreme-court/ |access-date=2022-09-11 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref>
== See also ==
* [[Music and politics]]
==References==
{{reflist}}{{Rage Against the Machine}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rage Against the Machine}}
[[Category:Far-left politics in the United States]]
[[Category:Rage Against the Machine|Political views]]
[[Category:Socialism in the United States]]
[[Category:Youth rights]]
[[Category:Political views by person]]
[[Category:Music and politics]]