Nazi punk
Encyclopedia
A Nazi punk is a neo-Nazi
who is part of the punk subculture
. The term also describes the related type of music. Nazi punk music sounds similar to most forms of punk rock
, but it differs by having lyrics that express hatred of Jews, homosexuals
, communists
, anarchists
, anti-racists
and people who are not considered white
.
It is a fringe minority faction that contrasts sharply with the anti-authoritarian, anti-racist, left-wing
ideas prevalent in much of the punk subculture. Nazi punks are different from early punks such as Sid Vicious
and Siouxsie Sioux
, who are believed to have incorporated Nazi imagery such as Swastika
s for shock or comedy value.
In 1978 in Britain
, the white nationalist
National Front had a punk-oriented youth organization called the Punk Front. Although the Punk Front only lasted one year, it recruited several English
punks, as well as forming a number of white power
punk bands such as The Dentists, The Ventz, Tragic Minds and White Boss. In the early 1980s, the white power skinhead band Brutal Attack temporarily transformed into a Nazi punk band. They said they did that in the hopes of getting public concerts booked easier, but this tactic did not work, and they soon returned to being a racist skinhead band.
The Nazi punk subculture appeared in the United States
by the early 1980s, during, although not as a direct result of, the rise of the hardcore punk
scene.
Neo-Nazism
Neo-Nazism consists of post-World War II social or political movements seeking to revive Nazism or some variant thereof.The term neo-Nazism can also refer to the ideology of these movements....
who is part of the punk subculture
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
. The term also describes the related type of music. Nazi punk music sounds similar to most forms of punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
, but it differs by having lyrics that express hatred of Jews, homosexuals
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, communists
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
, anarchists
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
, anti-racists
Anti-racism
Anti-racism includes beliefs, actions, movements, and policies adopted or developed to oppose racism. In general, anti-racism is intended to promote an egalitarian society in which people do not face discrimination on the basis of their race, however defined...
and people who are not considered white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
.
It is a fringe minority faction that contrasts sharply with the anti-authoritarian, anti-racist, left-wing
Left-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
ideas prevalent in much of the punk subculture. Nazi punks are different from early punks such as Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
and Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux
Siouxsie Sioux is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known as the lead singer of the critically acclaimed rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees and of its splinter group The Creatures . The Banshees produced eleven studio albums and a string of hit singles including "Hong Kong Garden",...
, who are believed to have incorporated Nazi imagery such as Swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
s for shock or comedy value.
In 1978 in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the white nationalist
White nationalism
White nationalism is a political ideology which advocates a racial definition of national identity for white people. White separatism and white supremacism are subgroups within white nationalism. The former seek a separate white nation state, while the latter add ideas from social Darwinism and...
National Front had a punk-oriented youth organization called the Punk Front. Although the Punk Front only lasted one year, it recruited several English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
punks, as well as forming a number of white power
White supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
punk bands such as The Dentists, The Ventz, Tragic Minds and White Boss. In the early 1980s, the white power skinhead band Brutal Attack temporarily transformed into a Nazi punk band. They said they did that in the hopes of getting public concerts booked easier, but this tactic did not work, and they soon returned to being a racist skinhead band.
The Nazi punk subculture appeared in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by the early 1980s, during, although not as a direct result of, the rise of the hardcore punk
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
scene.
See also
- List of neo-Nazi bands
- National Socialist black metalNational Socialist black metalNational Socialist black metal is black metal that promotes National Socialist beliefs through their lyrics and imagery. These beliefs often include: white supremacy, racial separatism, antisemitism, heterosexism, and Nazi interpretations of paganism or Satanism...
- Nazi chicNazi chicNazi chic refers to the approving use of Nazi-era style, imagery, and paraphernalia in clothing and popular culture, especially when used for taboo breaking or shock value rather than out of genuine nazist sympathies....
- "Nazi Punks Fuck Off!Nazi Punks Fuck Off!"Nazi Punks Fuck Off" was the fifth single by the Dead Kennedys. The record was released in 1981 on Alternative Tentacles with "Moral Majority" as the b-side. Both are taken from the In God We Trust, Inc. EP, although the version of the title track on the EP is a different recording from the...
" - song by Dead Kennedys - Punk ideologies
- Rock Against CommunismRock Against CommunismRock Against Communism started out as series of white power rock concerts in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s, and is also a name for the subsequent music genre. Despite its name, RAC song lyrics rarely focus on the specific topic of anti-communism...
- Rock Against RacismRock Against RacismRock Against Racism was a campaign set up in the United Kingdom in 1976 as a response to an increase in racial conflict and the growth of white nationalist groups such as the National Front. The campaign involved pop, rock and reggae musicians staging concerts with an anti-racist theme, in order...
External links
- National Socialist Punk Nazi punk history, ideology and music
- Punks Not Red Website of Punks Not Red movement