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Far-right subcultures refers to the symbolism, ideology and traits that hold relevance to various politically extreme right-wing groups and organisations. There are three kinds of subcultures within far-right movements to distinguish: subcultural parasitism, subcultural creation around ideology and subcultures that are networking with far-right movements, as some football hooligans did with neo-nazis.


Subcultures created around or related to Nazi ideology


Subcultural parasitism

Far-right ideologists try to infiltrate subcultures in order to spread their ideas among them. These attempts are defined as subcultural parasitism. The most well-known subculture that has been taken over by the far-right and neo-nazis is the
Skinhead A skinhead is a member of a subculture which originated among working class youths in London, England, in the 1960s and soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working class skinhead movement emerging worldwide in th ...
scene, which originally started in Great Britain. Some examples for subculture parasitism: the Nipster, infiltration of the
Hipster (contemporary subculture) The 21st-century hipster is a subculture (sometimes called hipsterism). Fashion is one of the major markers of hipster identity. Members of the subculture typically do not self-identify as hipsters, and the word ''hipster'' is often used as a pe ...
by neo-nazis (Nazi Hipster),
Nazi punk __NOTOC__ A Nazi punk is a neo-Nazi who is part of the punk subculture. The term also describes the related music genre, which is sometimes also referred to as hatecore. Nazi Punk music generally sounds like other forms of punk rock, but diffe ...
, infiltration of the
Heavy metal subculture Fans of heavy metal music have created their own subculture that encompasses more than just appreciation of the style of music. Fans affirm their membership in the subculture or scene by attending metal concerts (an activity seen as central to the ...
, known as
National Socialist black metal National Socialist black metal, also known as NSBM, Aryan black metal, and Neo-Nazi black metal, is a political movement and subgenre within the black metal music scene that promotes neo-Nazism, Fascism, and white supremacist ideologies. NSBM ...
(NSBM/NSCH). Subcultures as the
Goth subculture Goth is a music-based subculture that began in the United Kingdom during the early 1980s. It was developed by fans of Gothic rock, an offshoot of the post-punk music genre. The name ''Goth'' was derived directly from the genre. Notable post-pu ...
and the Hip Hop subculture have also been infiltrated by far-right movements and ideologists. Some other examples for far-right or neo-Nazi subcultures:
Esoteric Nazism Esoteric Nazism, also known as Esoteric Fascism, refers to a range of mystical interpretations and adaptations of Nazism. After the Second World War, esoteric interpretations of the Third Reich were adapted into new religious movements of white ...
and Nazi Satanism.


Cultural counter-subversion

There is another strategy which is resorted to by neo-nazis and far right movements, and it is called cultural subversion. This strategy uses already existing forms of expression and organization and gives them a far right meaning. Some examples: *Music: use of already existing songs and the change of its lyrics into something national or racist *Slogans: the change of the left-wing slogan 'Long live the international solidarity' into 'Long live the national solidarity' *Forms of Organization: democratic forms of organizations are copied and accommodated with far right ideology


Modern forms of far-right subcultures and lifestyles in specific countries


Italy

During its rule of Italy the
National Fascist Party The National Fascist Party ( it, Partito Nazionale Fascista, PNF) was a political party in Italy, created by Benito Mussolini as the political expression of Italian Fascism and as a reorganization of the previous Italian Fasces of Combat. The ...
heavily influenced fashion in its pursuit of
autarky Autarky is the characteristic of self-sufficiency, usually applied to societies, communities, states, and their economic systems. Autarky as an ideal or method has been embraced by a wide range of political ideologies and movements, especiall ...
and this pursuit was exemplified by its belief in the importance of aesthetics and symbolism: clothes had to be produced in Italy and they also had to reflect the values of the Italian people. Pieces of clothing such as the black shirts became associated with the dreaded Volunteer Militia for the Safety of the Nation and even to the regime itself. Nowadays
neo-fascists Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration sent ...
still care a great deal about clothing, but with different approaches. Symbols and clothes like the
Celtic Cross The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses e ...
and the black clothing are still present and associated to the new filo-fascists political parties and movements, but, similarly to the neo-nazism case, there has also been a growing interest in "trendiness" and fashion, with new clothing brands that offer casual and formal clothing more in line with today's consumerist culture. This has led to three different types of brands usage by the neo-fascist subculture that still cares a big deal about clothing as a way to show their political affiliation, while caring about what is trendy as well: * The use of brands that are not openly using symbols of fascism but that are thought to be targeting neo-fascist consumers in light of their choices in advertising and partnerships, with the choice of testimonials, models, settings and even copy material that recalls the neo-fascist archetypical man. For example, Pivert. * The use of brands that while denying any political involvement (the apology of fascism in Italy is a felony officially) heavily rely on the fascist's regime icons, using symbols, mottos and images without using the name of the party while still making clear what is their political affiliation. An example is the decimaofficialstore. * The use of brands that are arbitrarily given a power of identification with their political values by the members of the subculture itself. The arbitrary appropriation of modern devices of today's consumer culture in addition to the ones typical of its "ancestor" in Neo-fascism is not just limited to fashion, examples of modern culture products that were not born with this political affiliation but were used by neo-fascists to frame their values and the adherence of its affiliates to them are Tolkien's novels, which led to the "Campi Hobbit" (Hobbit Camps) experience: real political camps where space was given to topics often overlooked by typical political institutions, with right wing music groups, visual artists, radio podcasts performances and social issues discussions about topics such as young people's unemployment together with paramilitary activities being carried out. Another very famous example is the politicization of
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...
, with the
Ultras Ultras are a type of association football fans who are renowned for their fanatical support. The term originated in Italy, but is used worldwide to describe predominantly organised fans of association football teams. The behavioural tende ...
groups often affiliated with certain ideologies. The majority of ultras groups in fact present small "bands" within them that are openly neo-fascist or at least far-right extremists, with groups such as Hellas Verona's "Brigate Gialloblu" or Juventus' "Vikings" having an infamous record of violence episodes, which are not related to the sport nor their supported teams' ideals.


Germany


Far right organisations in Germany

*Far right parties: East-Germany:
National Democratic Party of Germany The National Democratic Party of Germany (german: Nationaldemokratische Partei Deutschlands or NPD) is a far-right Neo-Nazi and ultranationalist political party in Germany. The party was founded in 1964 as successor to the German Reich Part ...
(NPD); West-Germany: 'Die Rechte' and 'Dritter Weg'. All together there are around 6000 members of far right parties in Germany. *Extreme right-wing comradeships:
Blood & Honour Blood & Honour is a neo-Nazi music promotion network and right-wing extremist political group founded in the United Kingdom by Ian Stuart Donaldson and Nicky Crane in 1987. It is composed of White Nationalists and has links to Combat 18. Som ...
network (or 'White Power'). Both networks are primarily selling extreme right-wing music and organizing international concerts. Their offers play an important role regarding the far right Lifestyle and they have an integrating effect on the far right scene in general. The
Autonome Nationalisten Autonome Nationalisten (English: Autonomous Nationalists, abbreviated AN) are German, British, Dutch and to a lesser degree Flemish Nationalists, who have adopted some of the far-left and Antifa's organizational concepts (autonomous activism), ...
are a similar organization, for predominantly young far right. The ideology is the same but in terms of aesthetics, they are more orientated towards their political opponent on the left and copy their lifestyles and symbols for their own purposes. See also Cultural Subversion *Intellectuals of the 'Neue Rechte' ( New Right): they function as the source of inspiration and keyword transmitter. *Far-right projects: An innovation of the last years are far right projects at the interface of virtual and real life. Examples are the 'Identitären' (
Identitarian movement The Identitarian movement or Identitarianism is a pan-European nationalist, far-right political ideology asserting the right of European ethnic groups and white peoples to Western culture and territories claimed to belong exclusively to them. ...
) and the 'Unsterblichen'. The 'Unsterblichen' was started by far rights in east Germany. They formulated the prosecution of the supposed 'Volkstods' (death of the nation). Which can be seen as relation to the demographic change in Germany and the fear of being swamped by foreign influences. The 'Unsterblichen' took over the flashmob idea and produced high quality choreographies for demonstrations which they filmed professionally and distributed them with music in social networks.


Identitarian movement

The
Identitarian movement The Identitarian movement or Identitarianism is a pan-European nationalist, far-right political ideology asserting the right of European ethnic groups and white peoples to Western culture and territories claimed to belong exclusively to them. ...
is one of the most renowned far-right youth cultures in Germany and it is also a part of the New Right. Within the New Right, it has four unique position features: youthfulness, an excessive desire for action,
pop culture Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' ...
and
Corporate Identity A corporate identity or corporate image is the manner in which a corporation, firm or business enterprise presents itself to the public (such as customers and investors as well as employees). The corporate identity is typically visualized by ...
. The German Identitarian movement uses Facebook as its main platform, where it spreads quotations of famous thinkers of the
Conservative Revolutionary movement The Conservative Revolution (german: Konservative Revolution), also known as the German neoconservative movement or new nationalism, was a German national-conservative movement prominent during the Weimar Republic, in the years 1918–1933 (betw ...
such as Ernst Jünger and Carl Schmitt, articles of the far-right journal ''Sezession'' and videos of various campaigns.


United States


The American alt-right movement

Also referred to as the alternative right, the
alt-right The alt-right, an abbreviation of alternative right, is a far-right, white nationalist movement. A largely online phenomenon, the alt-right originated in the United States during the late 2000s before increasing in popularity during the mid-2 ...
is a recently-formed political movement which holds extreme views on a wide array of political, cultural, racial and religious issues, with their central themes being
white supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White ...
and
white nationalism White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara. ''Hate Crimes''. Greenwood ...
. It has gained significant prominence since the run-up to the Presidential election of 2016, in which
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
was elected. The typical alt-right supporter is a white non-naturalized US citizen, most likely a person whose family lineage is without recent immigration to the US. While there are numerous recorded cases of
anti-Semitic Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Antis ...
and anti-Muslim behavior by alt-right supporters, most of whom have a predominantly Christian background, personal religious disposition does not prove to be of great importance beyond the religious beliefs of those who are discriminated against.


Adoption of Neo-Fascist/Nazi symbolism

Since Donald Trump's victory in November 2016, the exposure and symbolism which is associated with the alt-right has become more distinct. In mid-November 2016, an alt-right conference with approximately 200 people was held in Washington, D.C. One of the speakers at this event was president of the National Policy Institute and white supremacist; Richard Spencer. Audience members cheered and gave the
Nazi salute The Nazi salute, also known as the Hitler salute (german: link=no, Hitlergruß, , Hitler greeting, ; also called by the Nazi Party , 'German greeting', ), or the ''Sieg Heil'' salute, is a gesture that was used as a greeting in Nazi Germany. Th ...
when he said, "Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!" The parallel theme of cultural purity combined with the
totalitarian Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and reg ...
and ominous connotations which are associated with Nazi history provide an aesthetic appeal to the themes and ideas of the alt-right. Due to the highly superficial nature of the group, the understanding of the key concepts which are behind these other far-right political movements is secondary to the imagery and the visual culture which are both associated with them.


Far-right subcultures and fashion labels


Fashion label abuse

Fashion label abuse means in this case, far-right movements, use specific labels and connect their ideology. Some prominent examples are Lonsdale, Fred Perry and New Balance. The British sport label Lonsdale became popular in the German neo-nazi movement because of the letters 'NSDA' in the name, which refers to the National Socialist German Workers' Party (
NSDAP The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...
,
Nazi Party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...
), that was active between 1920 and 1945. The popularity of Fred Perry can be explained through the demand in the skinhead scene. On top of that the brand offers polo shirts with a collar in the colors black-white-red, which was the flag color used by the nazi regime and is therefore as well prominent in German neo-nazi movements. Both brands distance themselves from any association. In November 2016 Matthew LeBretton, New Balance's vice president of public affairs, criticized the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, that the Obama administration led and
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
opposes. After New Balance defended its opposition to TTP, Andrew Anglin, publisher of the American
neo-nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), attack ...
news and commentary website The Daily Stormer, declared New Balance the “Official Shoes of White People”.


Fashion label creation around far-right ideology

There are also fashion labels that were created for neo-nazis, by neo-nazis. Some examples for nazi fashion labels: Ansgar Aryan, Consdaple, Eric and Sons, Masterrace Europe, Outlaw, Reconquista, Rizist, Thor Steinar, Troublemaker, Dryve by Suizhyde, Greifvogel Wear, Hate-Hate, Hermannsland, Sport Frei, Pro Violence.


See also

*
Far-right politics Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...
* Far-right social centres *
Fascism Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and t ...
*
Fashwave Vaporwave is a microgenre of electronic music, visual art style, and Internet meme that emerged in the early 2010s. It is defined partly by its slowed-down, chopped and screwed samples of smooth jazz, elevator, R&B, and lounge music from t ...
*
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Cat ...
* List of fascist movements * List of fascist movements by country * List of Ku Klux Klan organizations *
List of neo-Nazi bands Far right bands first appeared in the late 1970s. Punk rock, and genres influenced by it, had used Nazi imagery for shock value, but those bands were usually not fascist. This changed when Oi!, a populist offshoot of punk rock, became popular wi ...
* List of neo-Nazi organizations * List of organizations designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as hate groups * List of white nationalist organizations *
National Socialist black metal National Socialist black metal, also known as NSBM, Aryan black metal, and Neo-Nazi black metal, is a political movement and subgenre within the black metal music scene that promotes neo-Nazism, Fascism, and white supremacist ideologies. NSBM ...
*
Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) i ...
* Neo-Confederates *
Neo-fascism Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration sent ...
*
Neo-Nazism Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and racial supremacy (often white supremacy), attack ...
* Neo-völkisch movements * Nipster * Radical right (Europe) * Radical right (United States) *
Religious terrorism Religious terrorism is a type of religious violence where terrorism is used as a strategy to achieve certain religious goals or which are influenced by religious beliefs and/or identity. In the modern age, after the decline of ideas such as the ...
*
Right-wing terrorism Right-wing terrorism, hard right terrorism, extreme right terrorism or far-right terrorism is terrorism that is motivated by a variety of different right-wing and far-right ideologies, most prominently, it is motivated by neo-Nazism, anti-com ...
*
Skinhead A skinhead is a member of a subculture which originated among working class youths in London, England, in the 1960s and soon spread to other parts of the United Kingdom, with a second working class skinhead movement emerging worldwide in th ...
*
White nationalism White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara. ''Hate Crimes''. Greenwood ...
*
White power music White power music is music that promotes white nationalism. It encompasses various music styles, including rock, country, experimental music and folk.Messner, Beth A., Art Jipson, Paul J. Becker and Bryan Byers. 2007. "The Hardest Hate: A Soc ...
* White power skinhead *
White supremacy White supremacy or white supremacism is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White ...
* Youth subculture


References

Notes {{Reflist Bibliography *Borstel, Dierk; Bozay, Kemal ed. (2017). Ungleichwertigkeitsideologien in der Einwanderungsgesellschaft. Wiesbaden: Springer Fachmedien. *Bruns, Julian, Kathrin Glösel, and Natascha Strobl. Die Identitären: Handbuch zur Jugendbewegung der Neuen Rechten in Europa. Unrast, 2014. *Goffman, Erving. Frame analysis: An essay on the organization of experience. Harvard University Press, 1974. *Häusler, Alexander; Schedler, Jan. "Neue Formen einer flüchtlingsfeindlichen sozialen Bewegung von rechts
Neue Formen einer flüchtlingsfeindlichen sozialen Bewegung von rechts
*Jaschke, Hans-Gerd. "Right-Wing Extremism and Populism in Contemporary Germany and Western Europe." Rightwing radicalism today: Perspectives from Europe and the US (2013): 22–36. *Leo, Tobias. "Der Nazis neue Kleider: Die Vereinnahmung jugendlicher Subkulturen durch die extreme Rechte." historia. scribere 8 (2016): 83-12
Der Nazis neue Kleider: Die Vereinnahmung jugendlicher Subkulturen durch die extreme Rechte
*Mecklenburg, Jens, ed. Handbuch deutscher Rechtsextremismus. Elefanten Press, 1996. *Patyi, Peter, and Jana Levická. "Attractiveness of right wing oriented movements and subcultures in modern society of the Slovak republic." Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 143 (2014): 832–837. *Pisoiu, Daniela. "Subcultures, violent radicalization and terrorism." (2015): 1–2. *Schedler, Jan. "Die extreme Rechte als soziale Bewegung." Handbuch Rechtsextremismus. Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden, 2016. 285–323. *Schlembach, Raphael. "New trends on the German extreme right." (2013): 192–194. *Stroud, Joseph James Iain. "Constructions of identity through music in extreme-right subcultures." (2014). Far-right politics Political movements White supremacy Subcultures Political culture Fascism Neo-fascism Neo-Nazism