You’ve got to hand it to the New York City protestors – they’ve got great taste in music. On Friday, June 5th, the US Protests: News & Updates Twitter account reported that protestors had hijacked NYPD radios for a third consecutive night. Their choice of music? Judas Priest’s ‘Breaking the Law’.
Judas Priest’s sixth LP, British Steel, is one of the most influential records in the heavy metal canon. In fact, the 1980 release is often credited with kickstarting the genre’s dominance through the 1980s. And no song was more penetrating than its second single ‘Breaking the Law’.
The song’s second verse feels especially applicable to current events. “So much for the golden future, I can’t even start,” sings JP’s Rob Halford. “I’ve had every promise broken, there’s anger in my heart. You don’t know what it’s like, you don’t have a clue. If you did, you’d find yourselves doing the same thing too.”
Halford spoke to Classic Rock about his enduring love of the song in 1998. “It’s a great crowd participation number,” he said. “Everyone’s had a confrontation with a copper and likes to scream about breaking the law, don’t they?”
Protests have continued around the US for an 11th consecutive night. They kicked off last week in response to the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man killed by Minneapolis police officers. Floyd died after officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for eight minutes. Chauvin will face trial for second-degree murder and manslaughter.
Protestors have hacked police radios in other US cities too, with songs such as N.W.A.’s ‘Fuck tha Police’, Wesley Willis’ ‘Rock n Roll McDonalds’ and Tay Zonday’s ‘Chocolate Rain’ getting a spin.
Check out ‘Breaking the Law’ by Judas Priest:
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