{"id":640706,"date":"2026-06-15T23:57:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T23:57:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/640706\/"},"modified":"2026-06-15T23:57:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T23:57:08","slug":"tom-morello-shares-message-for-tommy-robinson-at-download-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/640706\/","title":{"rendered":"Tom Morello shares message for Tommy Robinson at Download 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tom Morello<\/a>\u00a0used his set at\u00a0Download Festival 2026<\/a>\u00a0to send a message to the British far-right activist Tommy Robinson.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Rage Against The Machine<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Audioslave<\/a>\u00a0guitarist played\u00a0on the Opus Stage\u00a0at the Donington Park festival this weekend (June 14), and\u00a0took the chance\u00a0while playing for a big UK crowd to share his feelings about\u00a0Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.<\/p>\n

Morello played a set of provocative, politically-fuelled songs, including \u2018Killing In The Name\u2019 and \u2018Soldier In The Army Of Love\u2019, as well as Ozzy Osbourne<\/a>\u2019s \u2018Mr. Crowley\u2019 and\u00a0John Lennon<\/a>\u2019s \u2018Power\u00a0To\u00a0The\u00a0People\u2019.<\/p>\n

For the show, he had written in large letters on the back of the body of his guitar, \u201cFUCK TOMMY ROBINSON\u201d, with the big screens picking up the message. Morello later reposted a photo of the image on his X account \u2013 see below.<\/p>\n

RATM guitarist Tom Morello’s message at Download Festival this weekend. pic.twitter.com\/5oMTg9936K<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Antifa_Ultras (@ultras_antifaa) June 14, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Morello is no stranger to picking fights with right wing British leaders \u2013 in 2018,\u00a0Rage Against The\u00a0Machine hit out at Nigel Farage, branding him a \u201cpissweasel\u201d<\/a> for co-opting their name for his podcast \u2018Farage Against The Machine\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis\u00a0pissweasel\u00a0IS the machine \u2013 peddling the sort of inane, blame-heavy bullshit that the guys in RATM have been raging against since day one,\u201d the band said.<\/p>\n

Later that year, Morello said<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cI am open to accidentally giving Nigel a dry slap, if I encounter him on the tube. Though I doubt he rides the tube for fear of all the dry slaps he would receive.\u201d<\/p>\n

At a show supporting\u00a0Muse<\/a>\u00a0in 2019, Morello continued his vendetta against Farage, and presaged his Robinson attack,\u00a0by taping a sign to the back of his guitar\u00a0that read \u201cFUCK FARAGE\u201d<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Morello is curating the Power To The People festival in October in Maryland<\/a>, with\u00a0Bruce Springsteen<\/a>,\u00a0Foo Fighters<\/a>,\u00a0Joan Baez<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0System of a Down<\/a>\u2019s\u00a0Serj Tankian<\/a>\u00a0all set to perform. It is described as \u201ca non-partisan celebration of peace, justice, solidarity, music and community action\u201d, and you can read more about it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Morello also\u00a0joined Springsteen at every date of his \u2018Land Of Hope And Dreams\u2019 tour of the US<\/a>\u00a0earlier this year,\u00a0duetting with him on\u00a0\u2018Purple Rain<\/a>\u2019,\u00a0\u2018Chimes Of Freedom<\/a>\u2019 and others.<\/p>\n

In 2024, he\u00a0spoke to\u00a0NME\u00a0backstage at Download Festival about the power of music to spark political change<\/a>, and listed his\u00a0all time\u00a0favourite\u00a0protest songs.\u00a0\u201cOff the top of my head, some\u00a0of my\u00a0favourites\u00a0would be \u2018Imagine\u2019 by\u00a0John Lennon<\/a>, \u2018Biko\u2019 by\u00a0Peter Gabriel<\/a>, \u2018Fight\u00a0The\u00a0Power\u2019 by\u00a0Public Enemy<\/a>. There are also probably a few Rage Against The Machine Songs that make the list too\u2026\u201d he said.<\/p>\n