Billie Joe Armstrong stands in solidarity with LA protestors
As residents in Los Angeles continue to protest against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across the nation, Green Day frontman and Californian Billie Joe Armstrong has shared his solidarity with the protestors via a post on social media.
On Sunday evening, Armstrong posted a video of the protests to his Instagram account. The video is an amalgamation of news footage and smartphone videos from the protests, including footage of a Waymo self-driving taxi set alight with the words “Fuck ICE” spray-painted on the side.
The songwriter accompanied the video with the Green Day track ‘Fuck Off’, alongside two emojis, a middle-finger and an ice cube. Tensions have been rising against ICE for months now, as the agency continues to target the immigrant population of the USA under the orders of President Trump.
In many reported cases in recent months, plain-clothes ICE agents have been seen aggressively and unlawfully detaining innocent US citizens while in plain clothes rather than typical agency uniforms. This has caused widespread pushback against the actions of the agency and, in Los Angeles in particular, has given rise to a growing protest movement.
Over the weekend, highways were blocked, tear gas was deployed, and Donald Trump authorised the deployment of the National Guard in an attempt to curb demonstrations against ICE. Trump’s use of the National Guard has been criticised by California Governor Gavin Newsom, saying that the move would “only escalate tensions.”
Nevertheless, White House press secretary Karonline Leavitt claimed on Saturday evening, “The Trump Administration has a zero tolerance policy for criminal behaviour and violence, especially when that violence is aimed at law enforcement officers trying to do their jobs.”
Trump later wrote on Truth Social that the federal government would “step in and solve the problem, RIOTS & LOOTERS, the way it should be solved!!!” As of Monday morning, the protests against ICE in Los Angeles are still ongoing and are largely focused on the areas of Compton and Paramount.
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