Adumbrate of this article originally comes from young Bolsheviks from REVO. Because we refuse to co-operate with Marxist-Leninist organizations, a problem has occurred. The article itself was quite interesting and we wanted publish it; On the other hand, we didn’t want to support its creators. After all, we had chosen the less-resistant way. Because the article carried few mistakes, we decided to re-create it for We Will Rock you purposes, and without relating to the original authors.
For very long time, right wing extremists are getting young people on their side, not just through classic political parties and organizations; Much more people are recruted through cultural and social integration. Youth subcultures related to extreme right wing (mainly skinhead and hooligan groups), are by their social network, which took the communication function and interactive free time, as a tool of ideology presentation.
Extreme right wing members are creating their own culture, which contains of own codes, signals, signs, rituals, attitude and meeting points. People out of extreme right wing subculture, then see specific clothing, behavior, music and some subculture member codes, which are however for most of them incomprehensible. These references are supposed to be used as differentiation against outside world, as well as inner-member organization, and information sharing, about the group ideology. Such a mixture of clothing, music and codes is creating obvious and compact representation of youth subculture.
Music as an information medium
An idea of racist music scene has evolved in 80’s in England, where activists from the youth organization National front (including Ian Stuart, founder of the balefully famous Blood & Honor), organized concerts of extreme-right wing groups, called Rock against Communism (RAC). Music resulted as the best way of how to resolve fascistic and nationalistic issues. Today, music is commonly used for recruiting young people to join the extreme-right wing movement, for getting large financial resources for their scene and also offers good possibilities of communication and advertisement. Development of racist music in Bohemia started immediately after autumn 1989. During the transfer to capitalism, a large number of music albums with racist and xenophobe orientated music has been sold in the official distribution. Bands like Orlik (Dam in the Czech Republic named ~Eagle~) and Branik (Suburb in Prague); gained sympathy of a large number of young people, towards the Nazi-skinheads. Orlik became so popular, that this band has sold up to 100 000 copies of their album, and occupied top positions of Czech hit parades.
With music as the most popular media of neo-Nazi scene, are neo-Nazis trying more effectively get their ideology closer to young people. They are trying to use almost all subcultures and without any hesitation push their racist and nationalist texts into music like: hip hop, dark wave, techno and metal.
The Neo-Nazi political party NPD, which used music in pre-election battle in Germany, distributed to young people up to 25 000 copies of their CD, mainly in schools. Its success has been proven by increased number of people voting for the first time; As well as voting results in Saxony, where NPD got 9.2% of all votes. The financial side was very successful as well. CD retail, is exclusively profitable business, for extreme-right wing organizations as well as for the neo-Nazi music industry. As Miroslav Mares from Masaryk’s university presented, mainly concert organizers can make a bucket-load of money, untaxed offcourse. Just on entry fee can be made up to 100 000 Czech Crowns, also you have to add income from CD’s, patches and t-shirts.
Fascist‘s new clothes
It seems like during past few years, is the extreme-right wing scene becoming more popular between young people, mainly because it’s changing image. Classic neo-Nazis with bald head, military boots and jackets are much smaller (mainly country) part of the whole subculture scene.
Since the end of 70’s was the extreme-right occupying mainly the skinhead subculture. Their clothes were a symbol of working class, proletarian and man-like cult. It is exactly this style, with its representation of manliness, violence and politically fed neo-Nazi ideology, was the extreme-right wing success. With its expansion, few brands like Dr. Marten’s boots and Lonsdale were established and well spread.
However, classic skinheads have changed during past 10 years. Into fascist scene, were more and more coming sporty clothes and other elements, mainly taken from football hooligans. Brands like Pit Bull, Troublemaker and New Balance became “in”.
Extreme-right wing youth scene experienced, mainly in eastern parts of Germany, large boom. A number of local fascist groups with local roots grew up and gained local influence and power, which helped them later on to became a huge factor in socialization between east-German youths. Together with that, the right wing style became attractive to young people; even to those who thought they are apolitical. Old skinhead brands like Lonsdale and Fred Perry, soon enough became popular between young people, completely non-related to extreme-right wing.
“By this we end our cooperation with your distribution” wrote the Lonsdale brand to few neon-Nazi companies. Extreme-right wing demonstrations didn’t work out with Lonsdale’s marketing campaign, and therefore this company stopped all supplies to neo-Nazi stores. The fascist scene has reacted to this by establishing few new companies, own and clearly expressing themselves, brands like: Walhalla, Doberman street-wear, Patriot, Masterace or Consdaple (in contrast to Lonsdale, is possible in this brand to read the whole abbreviation ’NSDAP’), which are still using typical archway lettering design as Lonsdale, letters are getting larger from the middle towards the sides. Instead of Lonsdale, it is possible to see sign saying Nationalist, for example. From a distance is almost impossible to recognize these brands from the original. There are several reasons for this: With fascist brands, the scene is creating new internal outline and expressing opinions of its members, as well as filling their pockets with money. Optical relation to the original, is then for the outside world, creating an illusion of a large and homogeny scene. Even tho, it is just an optical illusion, a big danger is being created; swapping, or even joining, political and apolitical brand users together, in public eyes. The best example is probably Thor Steinar, which caused a huge excitement in the scene (and also made big bucks). But not just in these cases, are the new brands, getting more and more into normal shops.
Side by side to clothing brands, the number of stores providing neo-Nazis with merchandize is increasing. Just in Prague, there is about four of them, in the Czech Republic is around twenty of these shops. Neo-Nazis are not buying just clothes, CD’s or alternatively weapons in these shops; they also use them to meet, exchange information and get new contacts. By selling, modern right-wing clothes and other rubbish, can lead to financial support of neo-Nazi scene and politicise young people towards the right wing. Shops are rather in hands of extreme-right wing, and are organized exactly for this clientele, or a function of financial income: Second case is not making it better in any kind of way – it is still serving neo-Nazis. A number of these shops are being used as a tool for organized neo-Nazis, as well as for people from rock-hooligan scene.
In fine:
- It is possible to watch a trend, where organized extreme-right wing, is still preferring right and normally looking clothes; like Thor Steinar is, with small, but for educated people recognized symbols, which seem to be normally looking for rest of the society. This way is the organized extreme-right wing trying to get rid of complications, related to addressing public, which they want to pull into the scene or just communicate with, as well as issues caused by their symbols being openly presented.
- Just a little symbols decorating their clothes, are identifying them as neo-Nazis. Despite of better ways of agitation on a wider field of public actions, is this deflection from the traditional subculture, not bringing just an advantage. By setting in a wide range of different youth sub-cultures and putting the limiting skinhead image away, is the identification of a specific sub-culture with the neo-Nazi one, getting very hard. As this whole scene is getting wider, faithfulness to a specific identity is shuttering, and it’s possible to direct neo-Nazi ideology to sub-culture not accepting skinheads very well.
- Fascist music, clothes and shops, as well as pubs, are together with other institutions creating main reasons for spreading the fascist ideology. They are preparing foundations for those, who set asylum seeking housing and synagogues on fire, who attack or kill homosexuals, homeless, alternative youths or people with disabilities. Consistent fight against fascism, its (new) styles and its music, must be fundamental part of fight against its distributions and shops.
