ZOMG! Blood! Honour! Social! Cohesion!
Readers,
I bring to your attention two reports from the UK on ‘Blood & Honour’, the neo-Nazi network of ‘patriotic musicians of a right-wing persuasion what organises musical performances for younger persons’ (Dr James Saleam, Australia First Party). Born in 1987, “rather like football hooliganism, Blood & Honour originated in England, but has gone on to bigger and better things elsewhere” (Antifa UK), spreading like some kinda… I dunno… virus or something, first to Australia, and then the world.
Which is News… of the World.
*boom-tish*
Crush them Reich now
Anti-terror chiefs have warned against the growing threat from Nazi fanatics hell-bent on unleashing a new wave of bloody mayhem on Britain’s streets. The hardcore racists have vowed to WIPE OUT non-whites and set up a FOURTH REICH, echoing Hitler’s evil empire.
This ARTICLE in NEWS OF THE WORLD is CONTINUED at NORFOLK UNITY. Its publication was occasioned by a new report on B&H released by a mob called the Centre for Social Cohesion:
New report released today by the Centre for Social Cohesion (CSC) and Nothing British exposes violent ideology of white supremacism. Featured in yesterday’s News of the World, ‘Blood & Honour: Britain’s Far-Right Militants’ analyses the threat posed by white supremacist militant network, Blood & Honour (B&H).
You can download the report as a PDF.
I haven’t read the report yet, but when I do I’ll add some commentary (if I think it necessary). Otherwise, White Noise: inside the international nazi skinhead scene, edited by Nick Lowles and Steve Silver (Searchlight, 1998) provides some good background material, while the ‘Turn It Down’ site in the US has recently published a nice White Power Band Map, “To assist anyone and everyone who cares enough about music and wants to keep hate groups from hijacking our scenes”.
Adolf Adolf Adolf! Oi oi oi!
In Australia, B&H has been around for over 20 years, and works in close collaboration with another neo-Nazi skinhead group called the Hammerskins. (The Hammerskins originated in Texas; the Australian franchise is known as the Southern Cross Hammerskins.) B&H Australia is tiny, but does manage to organise an annual gig in Melbourne to commemorate the death in 1993 of B&H co-founder Ian Stuart Donaldson, as well as other, occasional events in Adelaide, Perth, Sydney and elsewhere. Otherwise, the group produces an occasional (Internet) radio show (episodes appearing in January, April, July, September and December 2009), and distributes neo-Nazi muzak and propaganda through its merchandising arm, 9% Percent Productions.
Beyond this, the network receives some small degree of support from others involved in the local music industry, a fact which, given its longevity, is unsurprising. Thus individuals involved with or on the periphery of the minuscule white power muzak industry have established generally cordial relations with others uncommitted and generally uninterested in furthering White racial supremacy. Of course, given broader public contempt for neo-Nazism and related doctrines, this support is generally covert rather than open, and tolerating the presence or even actively cooperating with racist, right-wing elements is usually justified on other grounds. For example, when, in 2006, an inner-city Melbourne pub was exposed as hosting the annual B&H memorial gig, a relatively large number of punk bands rallied around the pub’s manager. (The worst of the scabs still gigging are Marching Orders, Slick 46 and (ironically) The Worst.) While for the most part arising from a sense of loyalty to the pub manager, the ‘apolitical’ approach of many in the milieu may also be attributable to the more general yuppification of the subculture (although it should be noted that even yuppies are generally capable of recognising Nazism as being, like, Bad!).
In any case, despite this support, after a community boycott was initiated — one which gained the support of a range of local groups and individuals, including many other, more politically-aware punks — the racist, neo-Nazi sympathising management was removed, and a new, non-fascist friendly crew took over. Ironically, the main threat to its continued existence is now not the stench of neo-Nazism but draconian legislation ostensibly aimed at stemming violence at live music venues!
White Noise Productions
Outside of local, neo-conservative and reactionary 100% Two Fingers In the Air Punk Rawk™ circles, there’s a small audience for racist and fascist ideas within the heavy metal milieu — although again, most assume a fairly apathetic approach to politics, and/or extol the virtues of racism simply for its transgressive appeal.
A recent entrant into the field of heavy metal promotion is White Noise Productions, which maintains — at best — what might be termed an ambivalent approach to groups such as Blood & Honour. Thus WNP arranged for a brief tour Down Under by the fascist-sympathising Deströyer 666 in January 2010, is friends with the openly neo-Nazi band Ravenous, as well as B&H’s merchandising arm 9% Productions, and until recently (early 2010) proclaimed the promotion’s allegiance to ‘Blood & Honour’ and the network’s FREE! “Interactive Media Promotion’: like Panzerfaust‘s 2004 ‘Operation Schoolyard’ (albeit on a much tinier scale), an attempt to provide FREE! neo-Nazi propaganda to White yoof.
ACAB!
Like that adopted towards other groups and projects deemed to be potential sources of ‘politically-motivated violence’, the attitude of police and state authorities towards B&H and allied groups is generally one of watchful tolerance. (The obvious exception to that rule currently being the Muslim population; see : Kevin Rudd says Australia faces major terror threat, BBC, February 23, 2010.) Thus, providing the boys break no laws, they may carry on their activities more or less unmolested.
The only possible, slightly complicating factor is the existence of laws prohibiting ‘racial vilification’, which theoretically provide citizens the opportunity to file complaints for such things as the publication of enjoinders to racial violence. However, the use of such laws is extremely rare, their employment generally expensive to those concerned, and, moreover, of questionable legal bearing when brought to bear on private performances and the ah, Internets. (See also : More powers to nab net racists, Josh Gordon, The Sydney Morning Herald, February 21, 2010.) And while there have been a handful of murders, assaults, shootings and stabbings in recent decades (largely the result of internal bickering), given also the relative absence of violence on the far right — and its chronic inability to establish stable and even semi-popular structures — B&H and other neo-Nazi associations have only very occasionally been able to generate sensational headlines of the sort to be found in the News of The World.
- 9percentproductions.com
bloodandhonouraustralia.org
bloodandhonouraustralia.org/28%20radio%20site/radiopage.html
schammerskins.org
Bonus!
Note that since the CSH report was published, police in Croatia have closed down a nutzi gig and arrested a number of organisers (for what crime(s) remains unknown); in a few weeks time, on March 6, Hungarian neo-Nazis will be holding a rally in the capital Budapest, while in the evening B&H are organising a pop concert. On February 22, the Hungarian Parliament voted “in favour of making Holocaust denial a criminal offence, punishable by up to three years imprisonment. The law was passed in a final vote with 197 in favour, 1 against, and 142 abstentions. It had been proposed by Attila Mesterhazy, prime ministerial candidate of the governing Hungarian Socialist Party. A motion by the centre-right opposition party Fidesz to extend the law to cover the denial of other crimes committed under the Communist regime was rejected by 178 votes to 146, with seven abstentions.”
