Racist Skinhead

Racist skinheads have long been among the most violent-minded elements of the white power movement. During the 1980s, 1990s and the mid-2000s, particularly, the movement rose to prominence through the lucrative, international hate music scene. The movement has shrunk steadily since.

Top Takeaways

The racist skinhead movement’s influence within the broader white power network has been steadily waning, exacerbated by its inability to recruit younger members. Platforms like Facebook remain the preferred social media space for individual skinheads, reflecting the aging demographic of the movement. Conversely, active skinhead groups tend to favor platforms such as Telegram and VK, where they engage with a more insular audience.

New racist skinhead groups are exceedingly rare, typically forming from remnants of existing organizations, and no group is attracting recruits in significant numbers. Many former leaders have transitioned to other far-right factions, including the Proud Boys, which emerged in alignment with the social movements surrounding President Donald Trump. The movement’s persistent struggle to organize effectively online has further hastened its decline, leaving it increasingly fragmented and less relevant in 2024.

Key Moments

Despite the death of Don Hansard, the Vinlanders Social Club (VSC) and its offshoot, Firm 22, remained active throughout 2024. Both maintained an online presence, with active websites and regular engagement on social media. The Atlantic City Skins (ACS), ironically more active in Tennessee than New Jersey this year, continued to promote white nationalist themes through platforms like Telegram. A Telegram channel, White Noise Radio, operated by ACS TN Joshua Matthew “JD” Croom Williamson, frequently spotlighted hate music bands and other skinhead groups like VSC and Firm 22.

While most listed skinhead groups retained an online presence on platforms like Facebook, Telegram, or VK, their activity was inconsistent. Vinland Clothing continued to operate its website, selling merchandise, but its Instagram and Telegram accounts showed no updates after May 2024. On the music front, the American Defense Skinheads’ band, Birthrite, released a new album, showcasing that hate music remains a key cultural touchstone for the movement.

What’s Ahead

The racist skinhead movement is poised to face continued challenges in maintaining relevance within the far-right ecosystem, primarily due to its aging demographic and failure to recruit younger members. While some groups and hate music promoters are attempting to network internationally with racist skinhead factions in Europe, Chile and Mexico, these efforts are unlikely to reverse the movement’s overall decline. As white nationalist groups with polished public images and militant neo-Nazi organizations attract younger extremists, the racist skinhead movement’s influence will likely diminish further.

Background

Since its emergence in Britain in the early 1980s, the racist skinhead movement has existed to promote and enact hate violence. In November 1988, three racist skinheads in Portland, Oregon, beat Ethiopian student Mulugeta Seraw to death with baseball bats. In April 1999, three racist skinheads murdered Mexican immigrant Irineo Soto Aguilar in Lakeside, California, crushing his skull with chunks of concrete. In October 2007, a racist skinhead strangled a 62-year-old gay man in Oklahoma City as a rite of passage in his gang. In 2012, a racist skinhead attacked worshippers at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, killing seven people who were preparing the day’s communal meal. These tragedies and similar acts of violence inflict lasting trauma on families and communities.

Some police departments now have bias-crime detectives, with many focused on local threats racist skinhead crews have posed. Racist skinheads have also become a regular element in prisons and juvenile corrections facilities, further exemplifying the central role bigotry plays in shaping our criminal justice system. The U.S. military also has had to contend with racist skinheads in its ranks. Hate music from racist skinhead bands resulted in movement leaders such as William Pierce making millions of dollars. The hate music scene in this country has always maintained a nearly symbiotic relationship with racist skinheads, and the two have dwindled in some ways together.

Racist Skinhead Terms

14/88

Common white supremacist code. 14 stands for the “14 words” slogan coined by David Lane, who died in prison while serving a 190-year sentence for his part in the assassination of a Jewish talk show host: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” 88 means “Heil Hitler,” as H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.

28

Shorthand for Blood and Honour, a skinhead group.

38

Confederate Hammerskins, the Southern faction of Hammerskin Nation.

Boot party

Beating a victim to the ground then stomping and kicking them with steel-toed boots.

Braces

Suspenders.

Crew

Skinhead gang or faction.

Colors

Marks identifying affiliation; can be tattoos, patches, etc.

Curbing or curb job

Breaking a victim’s jaw or neck by forcing their face against a street curb and kicking the back of the victim’s head; popularized by the 1998 movie American History X.

Dr. Martens (aka Doc Martens)

Brand of durable boots popular with skinheads. Racist skinheads often lace the boots differently and wear either white or red laces to distinguish themselves from other wearers of the popular footwear.

Homey sock

Pool ball in a sock wrapped in tape so it doesn’t split open when used as a weapon.

Featherwood

Female skinhead.

Five words

“I have nothing to say.” Skinheads are exhorted to give this standard response to law enforcement and media inquiries.

Fred Perry

Brand of sport shirts favored by skinheads. The brand’s logo features laurels.

Fresh cut

A newly indoctrinated skinhead whose head has recently been shaved for the first time.

Hammerskins

A nationwide skinhead syndicate, also known as Hammerskin Nation, with regional factions and chapters that once dominated the racist skinhead movement in the United States.

HSN

Hammerskin Nation

HFFH

Hammerskin Forever, Forever Hammerskin

Hang-around

A young person who associates with a skinhead group but is not yet a probate.

Probate

A “member in waiting” who is on probation with a group before he or she can become a full-fledged member.

RAHOWA

Short for “racial holy war,” a slogan that originated with the neo-Nazi Church of the Creator; also the name of a defunct racist band.

Red laces

Bootlace color indicated the wearer has shed blood for the racist skinhead movement. Racist skinheads will often randomly attack nonwhites to “earn” their red laces.

Spider web tattoo

Racist skinhead “badge of honor,” often worn on the elbow, indicating wearer has committed murder for the skinhead movement.

SHARP

Short for Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice, commonly known as SHARP skins, who often battle racist skins.

Skinbyrd

Female skinhead.

Straight-laced

A complex boot-lacing system favored by racist skins who lace their boots in horizontal, straight lines rather than X or cross patterns.

White laces

Bootlace color identifying a skinhead as being “white power,” as opposed to nonracist (“traditional”) or anti-racist skin.

ZOG

Shorthand for “Zionist Occupation (or Occupied) Government,” reflecting the neo-Nazi conspiracy theory that the American government is secretly controlled by a powerful Jewish cabal.

2024 Racist Skinhead Hate Groups   

AC Skins
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Tennessee

American Defense Skinheads
Pennsylvania

American Front
Washington

Firm 22
Florida

Keystone United
Pennsylvania

Northwest Hammerskins
Seattle, Washington

United Skinhead Nation
Florida

Vinland Clothing
California

Vinlanders Social Club
Florida