White power skinhead

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White power skinheads (sometimes known as Nazi skinheads or National Socialist skinheads) are members of a far right subculture that developed in the United Kingdom around the late 1970s.^[1]

Typically racist, antisemitic, anti-islamic, white supremacist, anti-gay and often neo-Nazi, the subculture emerged at a time when the UK was experiencing a second wave of the punk subculture. White power skinheads have a reputation for initiating violent confrontations with non-whites, Muslims, Jews, gays and left-wingers on the street and at political demonstrations. They are sometimes involved in white nationalist political organizations, such as the People's National Party (Russia), the National Democratic Party of Germany, the British National Front and the National Socialist Movement of Denmark. White power skinheads are sometimes called boneheads by non-racist skinheads and other opponents; both as a derogatory term and to avoid confusion between racist and non-racist skinheads.

Contents 1 History 2 Style and clothing 3 Portrayals in films and videogames 4 Notable bands 5 See also 6 Footnotes 7 Bibliography 8 External links

[edit] History

The original skinhead subculture started in the late 1960s, and had heavy British mod and Jamaican rude boy influences — including an appreciation for ska, early reggae and soul music.^[2][3][4][5] The identity of skinheads in the 1960s was neither based on white power nor neo-Nazism, but some skinheads (including black skinheads) had engaged in Gay-bashing, Hippy-bashing and Paki bashing (violence against random Pakistanis and other South Asian immigrants).^[6][7]

The original skinhead scene had mostly died out by 1972, and a late-1970s revival came partly as a backlash against the commercialization of punk rock. This revival coincided with the development of the 2 Tone and Oi! music genres.^{[8][9][10][11][12]} The skinhead revival in Britain included a sizeable white nationalist faction, involving organizations such as the National Front, British Movement, Rock Against Communism and Blood and Honour. Because of this, the mainstream media began to label the whole skinhead identity as neo-Nazi.

The racist subculture eventually spread to North America, Europe and other areas of the world. After the movement spread to the United States, some racist skinheads in that country became involved with groups such as Church of the Creator, White Aryan Resistance and the Hammerskins (a group that then spread to other countries). According to a 2007 report by the Anti-Defamation League, groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, white power skinheads and neo-Nazis have been growing more active in the United States in recent years, with a particular focus on opposing non-white immigration, specifically from Mexico.^[13]

[edit] Style and clothing

In contrast to the mod-influenced Trojan skinheads, white power skinheads tend to wear higher boots, T-shirts instead of button-up shirts, and army trousers or jeans instead of Sta-Prest trousers. They usually crop their hair shorter than the 1960s-style skinheads; often to grade 0 length or shaved off completely with a razor. White power skinheads generally have more tattoos than the skinheads of the 1960s, and these tattoos often feature explicitly racist content. Some wear badges, chains or rings featuring Nazi or white power emblems. In Germany, the Lonsdale clothing brand has been popular among some neo-Nazi skinheads. This is partly because the four middle letters of Lonsdale, NSDA, are almost the same as the abbreviation of Adolf Hitler's political party, the Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (NSDAP).^[14] Additionally, the surrounding letters can be hidden with a jacket to accentuate the effect.

[edit] Portrayals in films and videogames

• Made In Britain
• Romper Stomper
• American History X
• Higher Learning
• The Believer
• This Is England
• Manhunt
• Ethnic Cleansing

[edit] Notable bands

[edit] See also

• Combat 18
• Hammerskins
• Nazi punk
• White pride

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] Bibliography

• (2002) Diamond in the Dust - The Ian Stuart Biography. London: Blood and Honour England. 
• Dobratz, Betty A. (1997). "White power, white pride!": The white separatist movement in the United States. London: Twayne Publishers. ISBN 978-0-8057-3865-0. 

[edit] External links

• Article about neo-fascists in Russia
• Nazi skinheads and racist rock
• Extremist movements in Estonia

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