Spike Lee has shared a new version of the video for Michael Jackson’s ‘They Don’t Care About Us’ to mark what would be the star’s 62nd birthday.

The acclaimed director was behind the camera for the two original videos for the track – one shot in Brazil and another set in a prison.

• Read more: Spike Lee: “My path in life is to speak the truth – I’m not gonna run from it”

The new visuals for the ‘HIStory: Past, Present and Future’ track incorporate footage from 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests from locations around the world, including Rio De Janeiro, Helsinki, Atlanta, Cape Town, and more. In between those scenes, it shows clips from the original videos. Watch it below now.

 

In a statement, Lee said: “Great protest songs can’t get old, stale or non-relevant because the struggle still continues.  That’s why THEY DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT US is the anthem during this chaotic, pandemic world we are all living in.

“To celebrate Michael Jackson’s born day, we have made the THEY DON’T REALLY CARE ABOUT US 2020 short film to continue the struggle for equality for all. That’s the truth, Ruth. Be safe.”

The protests seen in the new video were sparked in May 2020 after the death of George Floyd while in police custody in Minneapolis. Officer Derek Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder, while Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Keung Tuesday all face charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.

Meanwhile, LL Cool J has spoken out about police brutality, saying there needs to be a “different approach” when it comes to vetting officers. “We got to get a different system in place for vetting, better education, more psychological evaluations, a deeper background check so that we really know who is doing the policing,” he said.