Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand, among other contemporary musicians, has expressed strong disapproval regarding the unauthorized use of their music to promote military actions. The group specifically condemned the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for featuring their 2004 hit, “Take Me Out,” in a promotional video related to the ongoing Israeli/U.S. war against Iran. Lead singer Alex Kapranos shared the IDF video, which showcased footage of fighter jets, explosions, and an Israeli soldier celebrating recent attacks on Iran, under the caption “Operation Roaring Lion — this is how it’s done.” Kapranos vehemently stated that “these warmongering murderers are using our music without our consent. This makes us both nauseous and furious. Kind of typical though, isn’t it? To strut up and take what isn’t theirs with a vile arrogance…”

The context for this controversy stems from a joint attack launched by the U.S. and Israel on Iran on February 28, an operation referred to as “Epic Fury” by Donald Trump and “Roaring Lion” by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Iran has since retaliated with missile and drone strikes against Israel and its allies in the region, including Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. The conflict, characterized by shifting explanations from U.S. officials, has ignited fears of a wider global confrontation and prompted economic concerns due to rapidly escalating oil prices.

This incident with Franz Ferdinand is part of a larger pattern of state entities using popular music without artists' permission for political or military agendas. Just last month, Radiohead publicly expressed their outrage when the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) posted a video on their X account on February 18. This video, cued to Radiohead’s 1997 track “Let Down,” depicted images of Americans with the caption: “American citizens raped and murdered by those who have no right to be in our country. This is who we fight for. This is our why.” Radiohead responded with a demand for the video's removal, emphasizing the personal significance of the song and condemning its appropriation, stating, “We demand that the amateurs in control of the ICE social media account take it down. It ain’t funny, this song means a lot to us and other people, and you don’t get to appropriate it without a fight. Also, go f–k yourselves.”

Similarly, singer Kesha criticized the Trump administration for the unauthorized use of her song “Blow” in a White House TikTok video on March 2. She accused the administration of leveraging her music to “incite violence and threaten war,” clarifying that she does not endorse her music being used to promote any form of violence, which she described as “the opposite of what I stand for.”

Despite the backlash, the IDF appears to be continuing its practice of incorporating popular music into its promotional videos. A video posted on Sunday, March 8, highlighting reported successes in striking Iranian targets, was set to Los Del Rio's 1993 hit “Macarena.” An earlier video from Friday, March 6, promoting Israeli bombing sorties on Iran, even referenced the workout tracking app Strava and included a snippet of Coi Leray's 2002 single “Players.” These ongoing instances underscore a persistent disregard for artist consent in the realm of state-sponsored propaganda, mirroring instances where Donald Trump's political agenda has similarly used popular music without sanction.