“Remove Kebab” is the name of the song that played in the Facebook LIVE video that was recorded by Brenton Tarrant, the man that police say is responsible for killing more than 49 people in New Zealand.
On Friday (local time), Tarrant filmed himself driving to Masjid Al Noor mosque and then continued to film as he entered the building with rifles that had the names of various mass shooters that came before him.
While in the car on his way to the mosque, a song started playing in the background. In Tarrant’s lengthy manifesto, that he wrote before the shootings, he mentioned working as a “kebab removalist.”
“More recently I have been working part-time as a kebab removalist,” he wrote.
Here’s what you need to know:
“Remove Kebab” Is a ‘Memetic Euphemism for Ethnic Cleansing’ That Originated in Serbia
According to Urban Dictionary, “Remove Kebab” originated in Serbia.
The title of the song refers to the “memetic euphemism for ethnic cleansing directed against Bosnian Turks specifically (kebab is a regional food) and adherents of Islam generally.”
The song was created by a group of three Bosnian Serb Army soldiers, one of whom played the trumpet, another played the accordion, and the third on the keyboard.
“From the Krajina, the wolves are coming. The wolves are coming. Be afraid, fascists and Turks.
Fascists and Turks,” the translated lyrics read, in part.
The song is also called “Serbia Strong.”
‘Remove Kebab’ Is Said to Be a Tribute to Radovan Karadzic
According to KnowYourMeme, “Remove Kebab” was originally created as a tribute to former politician and convicted war criminal, Radovan Karadzic, a Bosnian Serb.
In 1992, Karadzic, who is known by the nickname “the Butcher of Bosnia,” was named the president of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the years that followed, he joined forces with General Ratko Mladic and “[led] Bosnian Serb forces in seizing territory across Bosnia-Herzegovina, killing and displacing Muslims and Croats. More than 100,000 people [were] killed as a result of the conflict,” according to CNN.
The music video “Remove Kebab” was made in 2006, several years after the Bosnian War.
“Karadzic will lead the Serbs. Will lead the Serbs. Show them that they are not afraid of anything. They are not afraid of anything,” the translated lyrics read, in part.
Tarrant Played the Song in His Car Before Going on a Shooting Spree
A screenshot from the Brenton Tarrant video
The Australian Prime Minister described Tarrant as an “extremist, right-wing terrorist.” He streamed a video to his Facebook page, filming himself as he drove to the mosque and then subsequently when he opened fire.
Tarrant used his GPS to give him directions to the mosque. He is seen wearing gloves with the fingers cut out as he navigates the streets. It’s during this car ride that “Remove Kebab” can be heard playing.
Once he arrived at the mosque, Tarrant exited the vehicle, walked in the front door, and opened fire. At one point, he retreated to the vehicle to retrieve another weapon and then re-entered the mosque.
“There wasn’t even time to aim. There were so many targets,” he can be heard saying in the video.