OZZFEST 2004 Organizers: BUSH/HITLER Video Steered Attention Away From BLACK SABBATH

July 22, 2004

The Ozzfest 2004 organizers have confirmed to MTV.com that two images of George W. Bush, shown during BLACK SABBATH's performance of the metal classic "War Pigs", have been removed from the video montage that accompanies the song, which usually kicks off the band's headlining set.

The Ozzfest camp said it did not create the inflammatory images, but only compiled pre-existing footage to accompany the anti-war song.

"The Ozzfest 'War Pigs' clip is a video montage of conflicts and war protests from the last century to today with stock footage secured from third parties," read a statement from festival organizers, according to MTV.com. "The image of President Bush and Hitler is taken from a CNN news feature that shows a protestor holding a sign with President Bush and Hitler. The video is part of a musical performance and the images should not be taken out of context."

An article in Wednesday's USA Today alleges that the Bush images were removed due to complaints, though an Ozzfest spokesperson denied the claim. Instead, the spokesperson said, the montage was edited because too many media outlets were taking the footage out of context, and it steered attention away from BLACK SABBATH's performance.

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