Rage Against The Machine react to Joe Biden’s pardon of activist Leonard Peltier: “Justice will finally be served”

Rage Against The Machine have reacted to outgoing President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon activist Leonard Peltier, saying that “Justice will finally be served”.

• READ MORE: Tom Morello: “In the past, I’ve wanted to use music as a battering ram for social justice”

The band have long campaigned for the release of Peltier from prison, and brought the issue to light most famously with the music video for their ‘90s hit ‘Freedom’.

Peltier is a Native American activist and member of the American Indian Movement, and was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted on two counts of first-degree murder back in 1977.

The incident took place in 1975, when federal agents attempted to serve arrest warrants on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, and open fire left two FBI agents and one Native American dead. Following an extensive manhunt, three AIM members were arrested. Two were later acquitted but Peltier was found guilty for his alleged involvement in the incident.

Later, it came to light that there were multiple contradictions in the FBI’s case, witnesses claimed they were coerced by the FBI to give testimony, and supposed proof of Peltier’s innocence was either ignored or withheld.

The ‘Freedom’ video shed light on the situation, and saw Rage members campaign to have Peltier released from his incarceration. They have continued rallying support over the years too, and even used part of their comeback shows in 2022 to champion the release of the AIM member.

Now, the indigenous activist has been issued a pardon by outgoing President Joe Biden, in one of the latter’s final acts while in office before being replaced by Donald Trump.

Peltier was first convicted in 1975 and later handed a life sentence two years later. He has served 50 years in prison, and will now be allowed to transition to home confinement at age 80.

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A post shared by Rage Against The Machine (@rageagainstthemachine)

Taking to Instagram following the news, the official band account shared a snippet of the ‘Freedom’ music video alongside the caption: “Anger is a gift. Leonard Peltier to be freed.”

Guitarist Tom Morello also shared a statement of his own, writing on social media” “LEONARD PELTIER IS GOING HOME!! For almost five decades human rights organisations, Native American activists, average everyday people and bands like RATM have lobbied for the release of political prisoner, Leonard Peltier.

“Leonard has become a friend over the years and I am so glad at 80 years old and in poor health he will be able to spend his remaining years with family and friends.”

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A post shared by Tom Morello (@tommorello)

A post was also uploaded by drummer Brad Wilk, who wrote: “After almost 50 years of unjust incarceration, clemency was finally granted to Leonard Peltier!

“From as far back as the first RATM video […] to marching in the streets of NY at the end of Clinton’s term and beyond, we have been hoping for this day of clemency and Justice for Peltier to finally come.”

Explaining one of the images he shared, Wilk added: “The necklace in slide (7) was made for me in jail by Leonard. He made one for all four of us after we released the Freedom video. Unreal…. Feels bittersweet… but justice will finally be served for Leonard Peltier.”

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A post shared by Brad Wilk (@bradwilk)

Rage Against The Machine have long made headlines for the political nature of their music, and last year Morello caught up with NME ahead of his set at Download Festival to recall which tracks he considers to be the best protest songs of all time.

“Off the top of my head, some of my favourites would be ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon — I stopped by Abbey Road yesterday so that’s on my mind — ‘Biko’ by Peter Gabriel, ‘Fight The Power’ by Public Enemy. There are also probably a few Rage Against The Machine Songs that make the list too,” he said.

“The first thing that makes a great protest song is that it’s a great song. Nobody wants to hear a college lecture with a beat to it, there has to be an artistry there and an authenticity and a power and a chemistry behind it. All of those songs have that.”

He also spoke about how the band have always had an intrinsic link to politics in November and called out the fans he thinks “weren’t intelligent enough” to understand the group’s intentions.

“Never ceases to amaze me how many folks who’ve heard RATM [and have] literally ZERO understanding of anything that band was about and even less understanding where any of us might stand on contemporary issues,” he wrote on X/Twitter.

As for the future of RATM, it doesn’t seem likely that the band are set to tour or announce any new material anytime soon.

Morello has been working on various other projects lately and hitting the road as a solo artist over the past year, and at the beginning of 2024, Wilk posted a statement on Instagram that appeared to confirm that the band had ended for good.

“I know a lot of people are waiting for us to announce new tour dates for all the cancelled RATM shows. So, while there has been some communication that this may be happening in the future… I want to let you know that RATM (Tim, Zack, Tom and I) will not be touring or playing live again,” he wrote at the time.

Bassist Tim Commerford then went on to say that he was unsure of the band’s status in an interview later that year, stating: “I don’t know. I don’t get involved in that… I’m the bass player. I just wait for someone to tell me what to do.

“Brad said what he said, but he’s one step above me. He’s in the Number Three spot. I am the low man on the totem pole. That’s all I can tell you. I’m the bass player. The bass players always are the last people to find out about shit like that.”

Neither frontman Zack de la Rocha nor Tom Morello have publicly commented on the status of the band since Wilk’s post. Rage Against the Machine’s most recent dates would have been the North American leg of their ‘Public Service Announcement Tour’ in February 2023, but the band cancelled the shows after de la Rocha injured his Achilles tendon during a 2022 show.

In November 2023, Morello attended the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony alone, accepting Rage Against the Machine’s induction into the Hall on their behalf.

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