The Department of Homeland Security has once again posted a social media video that was removed following a DMCA takedown request. The post, shared by DHS on October 23rd, was removed from X/Twitter after using MGMT’s 2017 song “Little Dark Age.”
However, the clip, captioned “End of the Dark Age, beginning of the Golden Age,” remains up on Instagram and Bluesky. Set to a slowed-down remix of the song, the video shows footage of federal agents arresting ICE protesters in Portland, Oregon.
“Little Dark Age” was released as the lead single from MGMT’s 2018 album of the same name. As Gizmodo points out, the track has been co-opted by neo-Nazi and white supremacist circles in recent years. A 2021 report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue found it was “by far the most popular sound among extremist creators on TikTok,” often used in videos referencing American Nazi Party founder George Lincoln Rockwell and “esoteric nazism.”
Related Video
This is another instance of DHS and other creators missing the point of a song entirely. “Little Dark Age” features lyrics like, “Policemen swear to God, love seeping from their guns/ I know my friends and I would probably turn and run,” which directly criticize police violence.
In a statement shared with Gizmodo, DHS vehemently denied connection to extremist usage or intent: “Just because you don’t like something doesn’t make it Nazi propaganda — this is bottom-barrel ‘journalism.’ MGMT’s ‘Little Dark Age’ is wildly popular on both sides of the political spectrum. Go outside, touch grass, and get a grip.”
DHS has recently run afoul of multiple copyright holders. JAY-Z and The Cure have separately issued DMCA takedown requests against the agency over their respective songs “Public Service Announcement” and “Friday I’m in Love.”
Podcaster Theo Von, who interviewed Donald Trump before the 2024 election, also ripped DHS for using a clip from his show without permission, leading to another post being removed.
Even The Pokémon Company has had to step in, clarifying that it did not authorize DHS to use its imagery and anime theme song in an ICE arrest video post.