Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello praises Portland protesters for chanting lyrics at police

Clips of demonstrators chanting the famous refrain to ‘Killing in the Name’ were shared on social media

Tuesday 28 July 2020 11:32 BST

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Rage Against the Machine‘s Tom Morello has praised protesters in Portland, Oregon who chanted the band’s lyrics.

Demonstrators have been active in Portland for more than 60 consecutive days, following the killing of George Floyd.

Footage was shared on social media of protesters chanting the famous refrain to Rage Against the Machine’s hit 1992 protest song “Killing in the Name”, singing: “F*** you, I won’t do what you tell me”.

Morello then responded to the video on Twitter, writing: “Well that’s what it’s for!”

In another tweet, the artist wrote that PDX (a code for Portland International Airport) were “getting their #RATM on”, and retweeted a video of protesters chanting the song’s lyrics at police.

The US government has recently been condemned for sending federal agents to suppress the protests in Portland, with many protesters likening the outside force to a “secret police”.

Floyd’s death in Minneapolis on 25 May sparked a wave of anti-racism and anti-police brutality protests around the world, which are still ongoing in many cities across the US.

Floyd died when white police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, with the cause of death being ruled “asphyxiation caused by neck and back compression” by an independent autopsy.

“Killing in the Name” was the lead single from Rage Against the Machine’s 1992 self-titled debut album, and was written to protest police brutality and institutional racism.