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Skinhead nation A potpourri of violence-prone racists, anti-Semites and disaffected youth From Montreal to Moscow, the media is full of alarming stories of skinheads heavily tattooed shaved-head youth, bedecked in Nazi symbols - attacking Jews, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, homosexuals and homeless people, whom they perceive as racial enemies. In August two Israelis were hospitalized after being beaten by a group of skinheads at a rock concert in Belgrade, Serbia. They were chanting Auschwitz, Auschwitz and Go to Germany as they attacked us, Jarly Avram one of those assaulted - was reported as saying. No arrests were made.
Similarly that month the Quebec Human Rights Commission awarded $50,000 in damages to a black man who was beaten and stabbed by two neo-Nazi skinheads. Evans Marseille was drinking in an east-end Montreal bar in June 2002 when a group of men started taunting him with Nazi salutes. When he went outside to use the phone, they followed and attacked him. But it is from Russia with hate that the news of neo-Nazi youth is perhaps most alarming. According to a recent report by the Moscow Bureau for Human Rights, "The skinhead movement is growing [in the former Soviet Union]. It now numbers up to 50,000 people and is spreading from major regional centres into small towns and villages." That is an enormous increase from the skinheads' first appearance in Russia around 1992, when a handful of young punks in Moscow and St. Petersburg started copying European neo-Nazis. One expert says Russia is now home to half of the world's skinheads. Just how serious a problem are the so-called skinheads? "Though relatively small in numbers, neo-Nazi skinheads who have adopted white supremacy pose a threat that should not be underestimated," says Bernie Farber, CEO of Canadian Jewish Congress, and an expert on hate groups and white supremacy. "Lacking a moral centre with only hate as a guide, they have been known to act out their animus against vulnerable minorities using violence and intimidation." The amorphous international skinhead movement - youths who shave their heads, gather at rock concerts and sports events, and sometimes participate in white-supremacist and anti-immigrant activities developed in the late 1960s Britain out of the MOD (Modernist) movement. The founders were mostly working class youth but came from all economical backgrounds. Skinhead symbols began innocently as emblematic of working-class pride. Since many youth worked in factories, their shaved heads prevented their hair from getting caught in machinery. Similarly steel-toed boots were worn to protect their feet. The skinhead hair style quickly became a badge of distinction in contrast to the more bourgeois, long-haired hippie culture popular at the time. Skinhead culture exploded in 1969 to the extent that even the rock band Slade temporarily adopted the look. The subculture gained wider notice as a consequence of graphically violent and sexually explicit novels by Richard Allen, notably Skinhead and Skinhead Escapes. Postwar Britain received waves of immigrants from Jamaica and Pakistan. The West Indians used to work on the docks with some of the skinheads, and the two groups used to go around "Paki-bashing", i.e. assaulting South Asian immigrants. In addition to retaining many mod influences, early skinheads were greatly interested in Jamaican Rude Boy style and culture, especially reggae and ska music. But the evolving movement soon created its own musical _expression, called "oi", which was characterized by racist lyrics and calls for violence. The British National Party, a neo-Nazi group, started to back the bands and exploiting them to recruit new members. This is when the skinhead phenomena became a hate group, defined by its own war cry, "RAHOWA" an acronym for Racial Holy War. But not all skinheads are racist. In an attempt to counter this negative stereotype, some skinheads formed anti-racist organizations. Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice (SHARP) started in the USA in 1987, and Anti-Racist Action (ARA) began in 1988. In 1988 two SHARPs dragged two female racist skinheads from out of a 7-11 store and beat them with a hammer. Typically skinheads dress in jeans, Fred Perrys, Ben Shermans, Doc Martin boots, and bomber jackets. Some observers of their scene interpret the colour of their shoe laces and suspenders as having significance: red represents blood that has been shed for the white race; white stands for white power; black for "fresh cut"; and blue for "straight edge". Should Canadians be concerned about the evolving skinhead culture, and attempts by members to infiltrate the country's armed forces? "Whenever and wherever racists can gain prominence we should be concerned. This is especially true for their attempts to infiltrate the armed forces. We expect our armed forces to be tolerant and accepting. It is our singular mode of civil protection. The thought of neo-Nazi skinheads trying to gain access to the Canadian military should send chills down our spine," says Farber. A Skinhead lexicon 3i's (or 3-eyes), 8i's (or 8-eyes) etc. Leather shoes or boots, referring to the number of rows of lace eyelets. Other common numbers are 10, 12, 14, 18, and 20. Bleachers Blue jeans treated with household bleach to create a camouflage-like pattern. They were popular among punk rock-influenced Oi! skins in the 1970s and 1980s. Bonehead A derisive term used by traditional and anti-racist skinheads for a Neo-nazi skinhead. 1. A derisive term used by traditional skinheads for punk-influenced Oi! skinheads. Bootboy Another word for skinhead. 1. A specific gang-based skinhead offshoot in the late 1960s/early 1970s, involving a longer hairstyle and mod appearance, but still wearing boots. Boot party (primarily USA) Euphemism for a skinhead fight involving kicking, especially when one side outnumbers the other. Bovver boy (primarily UK) Another term for skinhead, specifically one who frequently seeks out enemies to beat down. Enemies are usually fans of rival soccer teams or members of other youth subcultures. Bovver is a Cockney slang word literally meaning "bother" (in the sense of "a spot of bother", or trouble). Braces A fashion accessory for holding up trousers, consisting of a pair of elasticized bands which go over the shoulders and fasten to the trousers (usually with metal clips). In North America they are commonly called suspenders, although many skinheads use the British term. (Suspenders in UK English means a garter belt.) Chelsea 1. Traditionally, a female skinhead. Also called a "skinhead girl" or "skingirl". 2. The usual haircut of a female skinhead, consisting of short hair on the crown, sides and back with a longer fringe in the front and on the neck. Also known as a feathercut. Crucified Skinhead An icon depicting a skinhead suspended from a cross, often seen on T-shirts and patches, or as a tattoo. It symbolizes the hardships of the skinhead lifestyle (such as being vilified as racist even if one is not), and makes a statement about one's commitment to the lifestyle. Fence-walker (or Fence-Sitter) A derisive term used by political skinheads for those who refuse to take sides, or who will associate with opposing groups. Skank A dance style associated with ska music. |
