Australian music legend John Williamson has spoken out against groups who used one of his classic tracks in videos filmed at anti-immigration protests over the weekend.
As reported by the ABC, March for Australia protests took place around the country on Sunday. Some of the attendees have since posted videos online from the rallies, with Williamson’s 1982 song, “True Blue” used in the clips.
However, in a statement released on Tuesday, the ARIA Hall of Fame songwriter slammed the move.
“‘True Blue’ is a song for all Australians and should not be hijacked by any group that seeks to use the song to sow division,” Williamson said.
“I believe in a multicultural society – one where all Australians come together in unity to celebrate our unique multicultural nature and freedoms.”
According to the ABC, the number of protestors across the country was well down on the estimated 15,000 who attended the March for Australia rallies in August.
Victoria’s Parliament is currently debating changes to protest laws, but the proposed changes relate to things like face coverings and do not include removing the right to protest.
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Meanwhile in NSW, White Australia’s leader Jack Eltis, a self-confessed neo-Nazi, could face serious charges over his speech made at the Sydney demonstration in August, where up to 8,000 people attended. It is a criminal offence in NSW to intentionally and publicly incite racial hatred, with a maximum penalty of two years in jail.
Meanwhile just this week in the US, singer Kenny Loggins slammed President Donald Trump for sharing an apparently AI-generated video of him dumping brown sludge on “No Kings” protesters, soundtracked to Loggins’ classic Top Gun song, “Danger Zone.”
“This is an unauthorized use of my performance of ‘Danger Zone,’” Loggins said in a statement. “Nobody asked me for my permission, which I would have denied, and I request that my recording on this video is removed immediately.”
