Franz Ferdinand have condemned the unauthorised use of their hit song “Take Me Out” in a military propaganda video by the Israeli Defense Forces.
This past weekend, frontman of the Scottish rock outfit, Alex Kapranos, took to Instagram to express the band’s outrage.
Per Rolling Stone, the controversial IDF video shows footage of fighter jets and explosions, featuring an Israeli soldier celebrating recent military strikes against Iran. Accompanied by Franz Ferdinand’s signature track, the post carries the caption “Operation Roaring Lion – this is how it’s done.”
“These warmongering murderers are using our music without our consent,” Kapranos responded.
“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…”
It comes after Israel and the US launched Operation Epic Fury, a joint military campaign against Iran that resulted in the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei late last month.
The operation prompted swift retaliation from Iran, which targeted Israeli locations and US military bases across Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.
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Franz Ferdinand previously targeted Trump in their 2016 track “Demagogue”, released as part of the “Artists for a Trump-free America” campaign. Following Trump’s initial presidential victory, Kapranos expressed his dismay on social media, questioning whether the election results were part of a “nightmare” that felt “horrifyingly real.”
The band’s latest album, The Human Fear, arrived in 2025, with Kapranos calling the record one of the most life-affirming experiences he’s ever had.
“I think any artist feels like that when you feel you’re making something good, and particularly if what you’re making is a collaborative process and you’re doing it with people who you enjoy being in the room with as well, and they’re really great people,” he told Tone Deaf at the time.
“It’s not even if you’re an artist – if you’re doing anything in life, whether it’s playing a local football team or if it’s a job, if you’re doing it with people whose company you really appreciate, then it becomes a life-affirming, uplifting experience.”
