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'Boots On The Ground': Massive Attack and Tom Waits team up for powerful ICE protest song

EuroNews · · 1012 words · By David Mouriquand
Political Activism in Art State Violence and Human Rights Immigration Policy (ICE)

The article reports on the collaboration between Massive Attack and Tom Waits for a protest song titled 'Boots On The Ground', which addresses ICE raids and state violence. It also details the song's accompanying video, the artists' political activism, and upcoming releases for both acts.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://euronews.com/culture/2026/04/16/boots-on-the-ground-massive-attack-and-t…

analyticsAnalysis

40%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 90%
Moderate concerns. Notable use of persuasive or loaded language.

psychologyDetected Techniques

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 80% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
warning
Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence
Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

17 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 7
check_circle Corroborated 4
verified Verified By Reference 2
info Single Source 2
help Insufficient Evidence 2
verified
“Massive Attack have teamed up with Tom Waits for a haunting and incredibly powerful protest song, titled 'Boots On The Ground'.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia explicitly confirms that 'Boots on the Ground' is a protest song by Massive Attack collaborating with Tom Waits, released on 16 April 2026.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Boots on the Ground" is a protest song by English trip hop group Massive Attack, collaborating with American musician Tom Waits. The song was released on 16 April 2026, accompanied by a politically c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_on_the_Ground_(Massive_A…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles. As of 2025,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_Attack
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The discography of British trip hop band Massive Attack consists of five studio albums, three compilations, five remix albums, one soundtrack, five EPs, eighteen singles, and twenty-seven music videos…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_Attack_discography
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“all proceeds from the song going to the American Civil Liberties Union and the US Immigrant Defense Project.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web sources confirm that proceeds from the song/vinyl will benefit the ACLU and the US Immigrant Defense Project.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Operation Metro Surge was an operation by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with the stated purpose of apprehending undocumented i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Metro_Surge
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — From September 17 through September 22, 2025, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) and its corporate parent, the Walt Disney Company, suspended production of the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel L…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_of_Jimmy_Kimmel_Liv…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The war on drugs, sometimes referred to in the 21st century as the war on cartels in contexts of military intervention and counterterrorism, is a global anti-narcotics campaign led by the United State…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_on_drugs
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
“‘Boots On The Ground’ features additional vocals from Waits’ son Casey”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While the song's existence is verified, none of the provided evidence mentions Casey Waits providing additional vocals.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Glitter and Doom Live is a live album by Tom Waits, by the ANTI- label on November 23, 2009. The songs were recorded during the Glitter and Doom Tour of the US and Europe in the summer of 2008. An ann…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glitter_and_Doom_Live
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of fictional characters in the television series Chicago Fire. The article deals with the series' main, recurring, and minor characters.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chicago_Fire_character…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, composer and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underbelly and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Waits
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The film was created by Massive Attack, made with work by US photo artist thefinaleye.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including a YouTube description and an image credit in a news article, state the film/video was created by Massive Attack working with US photo artist thefinaleye.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Boots on the Ground may refer to: Boots on the Ground (book), a 2003 book by Karl Zinsmeister Boots on the Ground (803Fresh song), 2024 Boots on the Ground (Massive Attack song), 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_on_the_Ground
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — "Boots on the Ground" is a protest song by English trip hop group Massive Attack, collaborating with American musician Tom Waits. The song was released on 16 April 2026, accompanied by a politically c…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boots_on_the_Ground_(Massive_A…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Massive Entertainment AB is a Swedish video game developer and a studio of Ubisoft based in Malmö. The company has been fully owned by Ubisoft since 2008. The studio is known for Tom Clancy's The Divi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_Entertainment
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25th May 2020”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists only of general information about the name 'George' and does not mention the specific event of George Floyd's death.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — George (English: / ˈdʒɔːrdʒ /) is a masculine given name derived from the Greek name Georgios (Γεώργιος; Ancient Greek: [ɡeɔ́ːrɡi.os], Modern Greek: [ʝeˈorʝi.os]). [1][2][3] It may have been a theopho…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_(given_name)
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web search NEUTRAL — Dec 13, 2025 · Learn about the name George including the meaning, gender, origin, popularity, and more.
https://momlovesbest.com/george-name-meaning
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web search NEUTRAL — May 30, 2025 · Saint George was a 3rd-century Roman soldier from Cappadocia who was martyred during the persecutions of Emperor Diocletian. Later legends describe his defeat of a dragon, with which he…
https://www.behindthename.com/name/george
info
“American homelessness that includes nearly 33,000 military veterans.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provides general statistics on homelessness and veterans but does not confirm the specific figure of 'nearly 33,000 military veterans' being homeless.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — It has been estimated that 318 million people are homeless worldwide. Habitat for Humanity estimated in 2016 that 1.6 billion people around the world live in "inadequate shelter".
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_by_ho…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) was created to provide life-long support to veterans through various forms. The VA had outlays amounting to around 325 billion dollars in 2024.Est…
https://www.statista.com/topics/1279/veterans/
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — As of 2022, nearly 731,000 U.S. veterans had been born outside the United States, representing 4.5 percent of the country’s 16.2 million veterans.Over the past three decades, the total number of veter…
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/immigrant-veterans-u…
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“As of March 2026, eight people have been killed by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, or in ICE custody. Their names were: Renée Good, Alex Pretti, Geraldo Lunas Campos, Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres, Luis Beltran Yanez Cruz, Parady La, Heber Sanchez Dominguez, and Victor Manuel Diaz.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources (IBTimes UK, Snopes, and another web result) list the specific names of individuals killed by or in the custody of ICE in 2026, including Renee Good and Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres.On 6 January, Honduran immigrant Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz died at the John F Kennedy memorial hospital in Indio, California, from heart-related issues, according to an ICE st…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/28/deaths-ice-2…
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web search NEUTRAL — Luis Beltrán Yanez-Cruz. Yanez-Cruz, a 68-year-old from Honduras, died in ICE custody on Jan. 6 at a hospital in California "after being admitted for heart-related health issues," according to ICE.
https://www.snopes.com/news/2026/03/10/ice-killed-nine-peopl…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz. Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres. Geraldo Lunas Campos.Renee Good, also aged 37 and a mother of three, was fatally shot by an ICE agent on 7 January in Minneapolis after attempting …
https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/ice-has-killed-nine-people-so-far-…
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“the b-side of Massive Attack's upcoming 12 inch 'The Fly' features my appreciation for the winged nuisance.”
CORROBORATED
Two independent sources (Return to Sound and Euronews) confirm that the b-side of the 12-inch 'The Fly' features a contribution from Tom Waits regarding 'the winged nuisance'.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Massive Attack are an English trip hop collective formed in 1988 in Bristol, England, by Robert "3D" Del Naja, Grant "Daddy G" Marshall, Adrian "Tricky" Thaws and Andrew "Mushroom" Vowles.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_Attack
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Tom waits + massive attack. Share new song 'Boots on the ground'.Man's folly of fiascos is a feast for the flies. Hence, the B side of Massive Attack’s upcoming 12 inch "The Fly" features my appreciat…
https://www.returntosound.co.uk/music-news/tom-waits-and-mas…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Hence, the b-side of Massive Attack's upcoming 12 inch 'The Fly' features my appreciation for the winged nuisance." ‘Boots On The Ground’ will be released as an exclusive vinyl featuring the b-side Wa…
https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/04/16/boots-on-the-gro…
help
“Massive Attack partnering with Good Neighbor on an 'EcoSonic' pressing manufactured from 100 per cent recycled PET via energy-efficient injection moulding.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for the 'EcoSonic' pressing or partnership with Good Neighbor.
help
“Robert Del Naja was recently among 500+ people arrested at a peaceful London protest in support of Palestine Action”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for Robert Del Naja's arrest at a Palestine Action protest.
schedule
“Massive Attack also joined 400 other artists in backing the No Music For Genocide campaign, which geo-blocks their work in Israel.”
PENDING
schedule
“They have boycotted performing in Israel since 1999.”
PENDING
schedule
“The band’s last release was the 2020 ‘Eutopia’ EP”
PENDING
schedule
“Their most recent full-length record remains 2010's ‘Heligoland’.”
PENDING
schedule
“'Boots On The Ground' is his first new material since his 2011 album ‘Bad As Me’.”
PENDING
schedule
“recently starring in 2025’s Venice-winning Father Mother Sister Brother.”
PENDING
schedule
“Waits will release ‘Where The Willow And The Dogwood Grow’ on 29 May. It is a curated collection of covers recorded by Bruce Springsteen, Marianne Faithfull, Norah Jones, Johnny Cash and Solomon Burke.”
PENDING
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.