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Dead Kennedys member: Orbán government will also steal from Hungarians
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The ongoing feud between the punk band Dead Kennedys and the Hungarian government continues. Following remarks from the former singer of Dead Kennedys, two other founding members of the band have voiced their opinions on the current poster campaign underway in the country. The band’s guitarist labelled the ruling party as “crazy”.
Background: Government propaganda inspired by hardcore punk band
As we reported just last week, the Hungarian government launched a new poster campaign in March. The billboards were commissioned by the Civil Alliance Forum (CAF), a supposedly independent civil organisation, that is, in reality, a part of Hungary’s central propaganda machine.
This isn’t the first instance of the Orbán government launching a smear campaign against its opposition, but this recent case has caused quite a stir. The posters depict the faces of four opposition politicians superimposed on bodies wearing white shirts and black pants. A black ‘S’ is painted on their shirts, bisected by their ties, forming a shape reminiscent of a dollar sign.
The poster also includes the following text: “They were bought by the kilo”. This latest campaign tactic accuses opposition parties of accepting American campaign funds in exchange for undermining Hungarian Christian-conservative values. The government’s latest catchphrase is “dollar-left”, alleging that left-wing politicians are being bribed by foreign entities.
Here is the catch: the design of the billboards was inspired by the American hardcore punk band the Dead Kennedys – a band highly critical of politics from their onset, whose satirical lyrics often ridiculed politics, authorities as well as their own industry.
“Their disdain for the music industry and the new wave movement led them to wear dollar-sign shirts and compose a song specifically criticising what they perceived as deceitful practices among new wave bands with record labels,” we wrote in our coverage.
Dead Kennedys members speak out against Orbán-regime
After making the connection between the imagery of the posters and the Dead Kennedys photo, Hungarian journalist László Seres contacted the former frontman of the group, Jello Biafra, whether the group gave permission to the government to use their photo. Biafra responded:
Hungary has a government that has never declared Russia as a threat to Europe and Hungary. Instead the Fidesz government has relentlessly portrayed the US as some kind of enemy of Hungary. Are Hungarians that stupid not to remember Russian occupation, the thousands killed in 1956, the torture for decades at Andrassy ut. and the decades of repression by their Russian masters? This is who Fidesz is bringing back for you because the Russian masters pay Fidesz and those corrupt politicians lining their pockets don’t give a puck about the country as long as they get their money.
So basically Civil Alliance Forum doesn’t care about any copyright infringement. They think they can do anything they want, because they can. They are protected by Fidesz. Scary. Any organization protected by Fidesz can do wharever they want in Hungary.
The article does not make it clear if the band had copy protection thru trademarking that symbolic look. Or if they are simply jumping on an op for publicity. Never heard of them. BUT hate it when misicians use their platform to wag their fingers at others instead of just playing their music. There is no idication that any of the band members names have university degrees or Masters, Doctorites in History, Politics, Sociaty Studies, Economy or similar that would give ANY weight to what they say. To their claims and insults.
Ehhh. @ilona – you do not have to hold an Msc or Batchelors to have intellectual property rights protected:
https://www.wipo.int/treaties/en/ip/berne/summary_berne.html
Fact: breaking the law! Link to the official video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L397TWLwrUU
Interesting contrast between a band or performing artists and form of elite in a western nation exercising their freedom of speech and outrage, but same in Hungary, nada?
Fear of empowerment, class system or ‘top people’, state and government, but like e.g. Turkey, happy to attack the EU, immigrants, Soros, west, Biden or liberals etc.?