An oral history of actual punks punching actual Nazis in the face
These days, it’s difficult to punch a Nazi without getting bogged down in some sort of philosophical debate about whether or not it’s OK to punch Nazis. But back in the early days of hardcore punk, when neo-Nazi and skinhead factions started invading the scene, the conversation was a lot shorter. The general feeling towards these encroaching fascists was succinctly summarized in the Dead Kennedy’s song “Nazi Punks Fuck Off.” Recently, GQ published an oral history on this issue, in which bands discuss how they and their fans reclaimed a scene that was once at risk of being overrun.
“Some of these guys were just lightweight followers and would only attack in groups, but a lot of them were genuine bad guys who were into Clockwork Orange-scale violence,” said Henry Rollins, describing the type of individuals that started showing up to Black Flag shows in the 1980s. These groups were known for disrupting shows, starting fights in the audience, or attacking the band directly if they felt they weren’t being supported. “It was no joke.”
