If you spend enough time learning about political and social movements in punk rock, eventually you are going to come across something you wish you hadn’t. Which is what happened to me when I started reading about the strong right-wing political movement in some parts of punk rock. This movement is referred to as the white pride movement. One major organization within this movement is the National Front, but if you ask a punk who isn’t part of this movement they would call them Fascists or in more blunt terms Nazis.
The most famous and earliest example of White Power/Neo-Nazi punk music is the band Skrewdriver. Skrewdriver originally was just like every other punk band. They released their first album, “All Skrewed Up” in 1977. This album was just a regular punk album. The lyrics talked about partying, going to work, being angry, and other basic teenage punk stuff. It wasn’t until later that they turned into a Neo-Nazi band with songs like, “White Power” with lyrics like:
“Waiting in the lane way, waiting for the scum
Smash their yellow faces, kick their fucking bums
When they plee for mercy, we will show them none
Skinhead, skinhead, 'til the job is done”
Nazism is only a very small sect of punk rock. It’s a sect that tends not to be so popular amongst the majority of the left-leaning punk scene. Student Pulse, a student journal focusing on the social sciences, arts, and humanities featured an article about this called "What Riot? Punk Rock Politics, Fascism, and Rock Against Racism." the article discusses the right-wing racist movement in punk as well as the backlash against it. There are huge groups of punks who dedicate their time to taking down Nazis and Fascists in the punk scene. In fact, the hatred for Nazis has created an entirely opposite movement of anti-fascists in the punk scene. These punks are the reason things like Rock Against Racism. an annual punk rock festival, continues to organize and tries to end white pride in the punk scene.
The most famous and earliest example of White Power/Neo-Nazi punk music is the band Skrewdriver. Skrewdriver originally was just like every other punk band. They released their first album, “All Skrewed Up” in 1977. This album was just a regular punk album. The lyrics talked about partying, going to work, being angry, and other basic teenage punk stuff. It wasn’t until later that they turned into a Neo-Nazi band with songs like, “White Power” with lyrics like:
“Waiting in the lane way, waiting for the scum
Smash their yellow faces, kick their fucking bums
When they plee for mercy, we will show them none
Skinhead, skinhead, 'til the job is done”
Nazism is only a very small sect of punk rock. It’s a sect that tends not to be so popular amongst the majority of the left-leaning punk scene. Student Pulse, a student journal focusing on the social sciences, arts, and humanities featured an article about this called "What Riot? Punk Rock Politics, Fascism, and Rock Against Racism." the article discusses the right-wing racist movement in punk as well as the backlash against it. There are huge groups of punks who dedicate their time to taking down Nazis and Fascists in the punk scene. In fact, the hatred for Nazis has created an entirely opposite movement of anti-fascists in the punk scene. These punks are the reason things like Rock Against Racism. an annual punk rock festival, continues to organize and tries to end white pride in the punk scene.