Trash the ZASH, or: When a Flag Is Victimised

Zionist Antifascist Skinheads (‘ZASH) has got to be the funniest trend since Russia’s Gay Aryan Skinheads (GASH). The contradictions are just as glaring: they call themselves anti-fascists but pledge undying loyalty to a country running the biggest ethnic cleansing campaign in recent memory. ZASH hail from Germany – where else? So far as we can tell, we may well be dealing with a two-man movement:

The Israel-loving lads seem to get around a bit, given that last spring their stickers were found – and swiftly removed – by local skinheads in Italy.

ZASH have also got an Instagram page, followed by very few skinheads, but by many fanaticised pro-Israel krauts. They see antisemitism everywhere and call themselves “anti-Germans”. A somewhat misleading moniker, seeing as few things are more German than wanting to join the IDF and support Israel’s “self-defence” to atone for great-grandpa’s dirty deeds in Treblinka.

ZASH complain on their Instagram that skinheads are still seen as nazis. So unfair! After all, they hasten to add, “most fascists, antisemites, racists, homophobes and transphobes” no longer opt for the skinhead look. So, what does a real skinhead’s ‘way of life’ look like today? An exciting report featured on ZASH’s Instagram profile provides some insight:

“One of our comrades has just witnessed an antisemitic act in Schwerin. A group of five to seven German and Arab youths, aged around 16-18, tore down the Israel flag that was flying in solidarity from the Ministry of the Interior. They cheered loudly and shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’. We, Zionist-Antifascist Skinheads, condemn this act in the strongest possible terms! We hope that the perpetrators will be caught! This antisemitic deed, linked to anti-Israel sentiment, reflects the current trend. Terrorism in Israel always goes hand in hand with pogrom-like actions against Jews and takes forms like the incident described here … Antifa means solidarity with Israel!”

That’s the spirit! When skinheads see something they hate, they “condemn it in the strongest possible terms” and “hope the perpetrators will be caught”. Why not take it a step further and snitch on the baddies, lads? Come to think of it, you probably have.

Oi! Oi! Oi! The boys are out tonight
Big boots stompin’, laced up tight
But what’s this? A crime in sight,
Time to do what’s just and right!

Oi! Oi! Oi! We dial 9-9-9
“Hello, officer? There’s been a crime!”
Concerned citizens in Ben Sherman shirts
Cops and skins united, ready and alert

Poor flag, though… Our thoughts are with the Ministry of the Interior in Schwerin.

ZASH also advertise merchandise on their Instagram page. If you’re desperate to make a clown of yourself, you can order this badge, for example:

Or – of course – their trademark one:

It’s unclear if ZASH are also selling the matching psychedelic shirt seen in the picture. As for the badges, the ZASHies assure customers that they are “a must for everyone, whether at the bar, in the football stadium, at the theory circle, or at the demo”. Theory circle? Therapy circle might be a more fitting term, as that seems to be the main purpose of German antifa.

So, where do these Zionist German Skinheads suddenly come from? I can only speculate, but I don’t think the following scenario is too far-fetched:

One fine day at the ‘antifa’ therapy session, some began to wonder out loud: “Now that we’ve got half the German punk scene to run with our pro-Israel horseshit, should we see if the skins are just as gullible?” All eyes turned to Werner and Hans, who were already well-versed in the skinhead world. After all, they had spent a decade in their mum’s basement running a blog about the greyzone. With true German precision, they meticulously tracked which Oi band’s ex-bassist once ‘liked’ a politically questionable joke on Facebook, had a beer with dodgy geezer X, or shared stages with sketchy band Y at a festival two decades ago. They even attended a Los Fastidios gig once. It was clear: Werner and Hans were the perfect candidates to start a new skinhead movement.

While the Zioskins are new, their bizarre politics aren’t. The ‘anti-Germans’ started out on Germany’s ultra-left in the 90s, but eventually abandoned their radical roots and split into a liberal (“left anti-German“) and a conservative (“right anti-German“) wing. The people behind ZASH seem to be liberals since they use gender-neutral language – something the conservative faction would reject. Over the past two decades, the ‘anti-Germans’ have steadily infiltrated much of the German punk scene, which has proven too weak-minded to resist its transformation into an establishment-friendly hipster playground.

ZASH present themselves as ‘open to dialogue’ because in the Oi/skinhead scene they’re starting from a weak position. But give them an inch, and they’ll start pressuring promoters to cancel any gig they don’t like. That’s what the ‘anti-Germans’ have been up to in the punk scene, which they have colonised like other people colonise countries.

After nearly a year of war and over 40,000 Palestinian deaths, ZASH are stil shouting their ‘anti-fascist’ solidarity with their favourite ethnocracy from the rooftops. At least they acknowledge that they “will not only meet with approval, but mainly with rejection”. When it comes to Italy, we can confidently assure them of that. As for the rest of the world, we wish these German psychos the success they deserve.

Matt Crombieboy

Disclaimer: Lest any knuckle-draggers misunderstand our little report as an invitation to hate on “the Jews”, we made very clear what we think of antisemites a few years ago. There’s a big difference between a religious or ethnic group and a political ideology based on specific ideas about that group.