Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello calls out those mocking George Floyd's death, fans support him fully
Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello is trending on Twitter after getting vocal about George Floyd's death and his stance against racism. There have been ongoing protests in America following the death of Minneapolis resident Floyd which have stirred many a celebrity to join in or get their followers to stand with them as they fight against racism.
While many Americans are seeking justice for Floyd, the nation has seen a rise in looting amid protests. President Donald Trump threatened to shoot the looters on Twitter on May 29, but his tweet was flagged by Twitter for glorifying violence. Rage against the Machine's Tom Morello soon responded to Trump's message while attending a protest. In a photo shared by Morello on Instagram, the guitarist was seen wearing a protective mask with other protesters as he held a sign with “I can’t breathe” written on it. The caption of the photo was mocking Trump’s response: “‘Liberate Minnesota’-Donald Trump #OnIt!” seemingly against the violent approach Trump has been taking towards the protesters, Morello implied that they were liberating Minnesota.
On June 5, Morello took his Instagram account once again, but this time his response was directed at people who are mocking George Floyd’s death. Some had decided to poke fun at the manner of Floyd’s death by reenacting the kneeling stance as a friend laid face-down on the ground and have shared the ill-advised images online. Morello quickly used his social media platform to lead a search for the names that did this disrespectful behavior, saying, “Smiling folks mocking the murder of George Floyd. Hey internet, who are they?”
Instances such as these have gotten many Twitter users discussing Morello's socio-political beliefs. A Twitter exchange from 2017 between a user and Morello is going viral on the social media platform. "Another successful musician instantly becomes a political expert," wrote the user which got a response from Morello: "One does not have to be an honors grad in political science from Harvard University to recognize the unethical and inhumane nature of this administration but well, I happen to be an honors grad in political science from Harvard University so I can confirm that for you," he said.
Meanwhile, Morello's fans are in full support of his views and are pointing out the fact that Rage Against the Machine is chiefly a political band, or more specifically, a protest band. "Anyone who is shocked Tom Morello is political and left wing never listened to the lyrics of a single Rage Against the Machine song," said a fan while another wrote, "People are shocked that Tom Morello, who is the guitarist in a band which is highly political and has an album cover showing a man who burned himself to death as part of a protest against unarmed killings of civilians, has political opinions on the killing of unarmed civilians?"
"Tom Morello for president?" asks a fan. Other comments include, "Wow! Tom Morello is not the guy to challenge regarding his political convictions. Dang...that guy stepped in it with both feet!" and "Idk why Tom Morello is trending today but I don't have a problem with it."
