New Zealand Mosque Shooting: Marine Plays Controversial ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ For Victims

A U.S. marine posted a video on his Instagram account Sunday, playing the controversial song “Pumped Up Kicks” for the victims of New Zealand’s Christchurch shooting that left 50 dead.

Middle East Eye columnist CJ Werleman was the one who first drew people’s attention to the video, which was reportedly posted by marine Erik Rijos. It was a random video recorded from inside a car where the song “Pumped Up Kicks” by Mark Foster was playing in the background. The message “My boi [Sic] said this for the people at the New Zealand mosque” was written across the screen.

With lyrics like “All the other kids with the pumped up kicks; you'd better run, better run, out run my gun”, the song describes the homicidal thoughts of a troubled youth, but have often been likened to the inner thoughts of a mass shooter daring children to outrun his gun.

“To those who believe we shouldn't amplify these kind of anti-Muslim hatred, it's my personal opinion posting this kind of stuff helps people, particularly those in the media, to see how widespread this crisis [Islamophobia] truly is,” Werleman wrote in a later tweet.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, New Zealanders flocked to memorial sites to pay their tribute and mourn the victims of the twin mosque massacres, as a complete list of victims was shared with their respective families – a task delayed by the large scale of the tragedy and the police’s need to make sure it was free of any errors. Forensic teams were flown in from different parts of the country to carefully assess the Al Noor and Linwood mosques as well as a house in Dunedin, where the shooting suspect Brenton Tarrant lived.

Thirty-four people still remain hospitalized with injuries ranging from severe, complex gunshot wounds to "relatively superficial soft tissue injuries".

This was not the first time the U.S. marines found themselves embroiled in controversies. In February, two marines from the Third Marine Aircraft Wing at the Miramar Air Station in San Diego, California, were under investigation after they posed in blackface while in their uniform. The video was initially posted by one of the marines on Snapchat and was then shared on Twitter, where it gained popularity. The video showed the pair using the word “blackface” before uttering a racist term. They then put on caps and saluted.

One of them, identified as Zach Highfield, told local media that the blackface was made of charcoal masks used to clean pores. “It looks a lot worse than it is. It was a bad mistake. We had no intention to offend,” Highfield said.

A spokesman for the Third Marine Aircraft Wing, Major Josef Patterson, issued the following statement at the time: “We are aware of the post. An investigation has been initiated to determine the facts and circumstances surrounding the content. Our leaders are committed to maintaining an environment of professionalism, dignity and respect. 3rd MAW takes all allegations of discriminatory behaviour very seriously as they stand in stark contrast of our core values of honor, courage, and commitment and do not reflect the discipline and professionalism of the Marines and the Sailors of 3rd MAW.”