British pop collective Chumbawamba has called on Spain's far-right Vox party to stop using their 1997 hit 'Tubthumping' to promote what they describe as a 'small-minded, hate-fuelled agenda'. The song was used in a social media post by Vox leader Santiago Abascal, which criticised migration and accompanied a visit to the town of Caspe ahead of regional elections in Aragón.
The post, shared on Facebook, featured the song's defiant chorus: 'I get knocked down/But I get up again/You're never gonna keep me down.' Chumbawamba said Abascal had profoundly misunderstood the song's message, which was intended as 'an anthem for the underdog, for those fighting power'. The band has asked Facebook to remove the video and demanded Vox never use the song again.
Former member Alice Nutter described Abascal's post as 'vile and racist', adding that the collective was 'much more in tune' with the Spanish government's recent decision to regularise half a million undocumented migrants. This is not the first time Chumbawamba has objected to misuse of the song; last year, member Boff Whalley criticised New Zealand politician Winston Peters for using it, and the band also sent a cease-and-desist to Donald Trump before his presidency.
Other artists, including Beyoncé, Neil Young, and the Foo Fighters, have similarly objected to their music being used by Trump at rallies. In 2009, the Manic Street Preachers discovered their anti-fascist song 'If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next' had been used by the British National Party.
