dpa/afp/taz | US rock legend Bruce Springsteen has dedicated a protest anthem to the citizens of Minneapolis in which he condemns the brutal operations of the US immigration agency ICE at the behest of President Donald Trump. In dem Lied „Streets of Minneapolis“ The 76-year-old denounces, among other things, “King Trump’s private army” that “tramples on our rights,” that wears “occupier boots” and “has pistols strapped to their coats.” And he sings about a burning city “under the boots of the occupiers” that fights “fire and ice” in winter.
He is referring to the approximately 3,000 employees of the immigration authorities ICE and the border protection agency CBP that the Trump administration sent to Minneapolis to track down immigrants without a residence permit. The song already had more than 200,000 likes as of Thursday morning on Instagram.
“Oh Minneapolis, I hear your voice / screaming through the bloody fog,” goes the chorus of the Springsteen song. “We will remember the names of those who died on the streets of Minneapolis.”
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The rocker writes on his websitethat the song is “to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors, and in memory of (the two U.S. citizens shot by federal officers) Alex Pretti and Renée Good“He wrote the song on Saturday, recorded it on Tuesday and released it on Wednesday – “as a response to the state terror” that is plaguing the city in the state of Minnesota. Accompanied by chants of “ICE out,” Springsteen calls on the song to “stand up for this country and the stranger in our midst.”
Both ICE and other cooperating authorities are criticized for the brutal implementation of Trump’s deportation policy with martial raids. The protest against the actions of the federal officials became even louder, after Renée Good was killed by gunfire from an ICE officer in early January. Then last Saturday Nurse Alex Pretti was shot dead by federal officers during an operation. People across the country then took to the streets to protest against Trump, his deportation policy and the rigorous actions of the authorities in his service.
Rock against Trump
Springsteen has long been known as a critic of the US president. Also last June At his tour stop in Berlin he dealt against the Republicancriticized deportation raids and the government’s handling of demonstrations in Los Angeles. “They are deploying the American military on America’s streets based on falsehoods about a foreign invasion,” the singer told tens of thousands of fans at the Olympic Stadium at the time. The statements were so important to him that they were shown in German translation on the video screens next to the stage.
Springsteen is a friend of former President Barack Obama, whom he actively supported during the election campaign.
The song title “Streets of Minneapolis” is reminiscent of the famous Springsteen song “Streets Of Philadelphia,” which the rocker wrote for the film drama “Philadelphia” (1993) about the AIDS crisis. The musician won several awards, including the Oscar for Best Original Song.