[1][2] All current and former members have strong left-leaning political views, and make their feelings on many things, including American president George W. Bush, a common motif in their lyrics.

Elling Borgersrud has stood for national election as a minor political candidate for the Red Electoral Alliance.

The band caused controversy in Norway with their video "Antiamerikansk Dans" (Anti-American Dance) together with the Swedish rap artist Promoe and their website killhim.nu ("Kill him Now"), which claimed to collect money for a bounty on the head of George W. Bush.

The campaign caused the American embassy in Norway to react, and prompted a Secret Service and Norwegian Police investigation into the band.

During 2007 Gatas Parlament launched a collaboration with Hopalong Knut, a ska band from Trondheim which uses trønder dialect.