Niel Young debuted his brand new song ‘Big Crime’ in Chicago in protest against US President Donald Trump.
The American singer has been very vocal about his opposition to the current presidential administration, calling him “out of control”.
At a show in Chicago’s Huntington Bank Pavilion on Wednesday he debuted the song for the first time.
The lyrics criticise Trump and his decision to militarize the capital. They read: “No more great again. There’s big crime in DC at the White House. Don’t need no fascist rules. Don’t want no fascist schools. Don’t want soldiers on our streets. There’s big crime in DC at the White House.”
The track is clearly inspired by Trump ordering the deployment of the National Guard into Washington, DC, declaring the city was suffering from a "crime emergency".
The streets of the home of The White House and Capitol Hill have been full of federal troops and armoured vehicles, tasked with carrying out police duties.
The militaries presence has decreased crime rates in the city, according to DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, but has also lead to a "break in trust" between residents and police force.
However, it is important to note that violent crime had already dropped 26% so far this year, after falling 35% the previous year.
This is by nowhere near the first time that Young has protested through his music, taking hits at Tesla CEO Elon Music in his songs ‘Let’s Roll Again’ and ‘If You’re A Fascist, Get A Tesla’.
He also took his work off of the streaming platform Spotify for two years in 2022 to protest the then-exclusive deal the company had with right-wing podcaster Joe Rogan, who Young said was spreading vaccine-disinformation.
Young has expressed concern that he would not be able to tour in the US due to his criticism of the president, whom he adds has been a fan of his music “for decades”.
He has played at a ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ rally organised by Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, both serious Trump opponents.
You can watch a snippet of the performance here:
