Freedom of speech is an idea that has always been debated. In the United States, it has always been one of our most cherished experiments. Sometimes, a person will say something that goes a bit too far, but then others have defended their right to say it, even if they didn't agree with the words.
Musical performances can add another element to freedom of speech. At Riot Fest 2025, Gwar, a theatrical band if there ever was one, had an actor dressed in an exaggerated Donald Trump costume, but then an actor dressed as an alien committed a bit of violence against the Trump character.
This, of course, led to outrage from Trump supporters, some of whom called for a boycott of Gwar. (Just a note to those new to Gwar, the band won't care if you boycott them, especially since you likely weren't a fan to begin with.)
Gwar get pushback for a recent performance at Riot Fest
One X/Twitter handle, clearly a supporter of right-wing thought, posted that Gwar was trying to incite political violence and stated that the band was "Democrats" and that the left-wing "loves promoting violence."
The handle, likely without thinking much, probably only added to what Gwar did because they posted a short snippet of the performance. If you weren't at Riot Fest, you would have missed what Gwar did and would have moved on. But with ironic thanks to the poster, you can watch what occurred.
Here is the issue with the knee-jerk reaction of labeling anyone and anything who does something one does not like: Normally, the facts or backstory are much different, and no research was done into what led to the situation.
Gwar has a long history of performing on stage and mimicking violence against politicians. The latest one was about Trump, obviously, but in 2023, the band had an actor decapitate a Joe Biden character. In 2015, an actor attacked a Hillary Clinton character.
Gwar might lean politically one way or the other, but we don't know which way truly. We certainly can't assume based on their acts of violence against actors dressed as politicians on stage.
Now, whether what Gwar is doing is in good taste, it isn't. But that's part of the point of the band. If you are put off by some things they do live then they have accomplished their goal. (Also, if you don't know, Gwar dress as aliens, and the band members are known as Scumdogs of the Universe. Take them seriously at your own risk.)