When the hubbub about the staged stage rushing of Shakespeare in the park broke, I just scoffed. Julius Caesar is a play in which assassination of the head of state led to the fall of the Roman Republic, so the idea that the play was inciting violence against the president was fairly laughable. The equally ridiculous idea that a humorous gif repurposed from an old WWE clip was a sign that President Trump was inciting violence against reporters evoked chuckles. However, when Long Island nu-metal group Stray from the Path released the music video for “Good night alt-right,” there was only one way to construe the message being proffered.

The promotional video itself is a gritty bit of violent fantasy centered around attacking someone for having a different ideology. In the video a character, portrayed as a red ball-cap wearing Nazi, with swastikas on display establishes his ideology by intently watching videos by self-appointed, alt-right and White Nationalist spokesperson Richard Spencer. Some cut shots of hooded Antifa “heroes” in front of computer screens supposedly hacking and/or doxing the Trump hat wearing alt-right character. The Antifa are shown to surveil and then kidnap at gunpoint the “alt-right Trump supporter.” He is then take to a basement where after being tied to a chair and beaten, they carve a swastika in the character’s forehead all the while screeching about how “the punishment should fit the crime.”

Alt-Right & White Nationalist spokesperson Richard Spencer [Image by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]

Regarding “Nazi punching” as a sport, hobby or profession, I personally agree with “stand-up philosopher” Slavoj Zizek, in this and all other related cases. You lose the moral “high ground” when you resort to violence.

“If a guy talks like that jerk [Richard Spencer], you should just ignore him. If he hits you, turn around. Don’t even acknowledge him as a person. That’s the type of violence I would call for. Not physical violence. Because, you know, people say symbolic violence can be even worse, but don’t underestimate physical violence. Something happens when you move to physical violence.”

The video was removed from YouTube shortly after immensely negative response but was re-uploaded. Commenters at /pol/ allege that the comments section is being scrubbed of racist and other negative comments. The video, at this writing, has over 28,000 down-votes on YouTube, compared to a scant 4,744 “thumbs up” reactions. Several people reported the video for “promoting terrorism” on the grounds that Antifa have been labeled a terrorist organization in New Jersey. Ironically, Antifa (purportedly anarcho-communist syndicalists who do not believe in personal property) ideals were not on display when dissenting viewpoints from YouTube content creators like “The Open Debate” used as little as 30 seconds of the video in their response.

Elder from TOD on YouTube said the following.

“Although I wouldn’t call myself a member of the alt-right, I can’t help but call out the hypocrisy of the blatant promotion of violence against anybody who holds a separate ideology from these guys.”

Regardless of the controversy, the group Anti-Flag has announced their support via Twitter, thanking Stray “for drawing the bigots out of the woodwork with their new jam.” InfoWars’ Paul Joseph Watson weighed in from the other direction.

SJWs made a metal song and yes it’s as bad as you think. RIP your thumbs down.????https://t.co/iqHrRms4Dm — Paul Joseph Watson (@PrisonPlanet) July 12, 2017

Contrast this with the case of Austin based garage rockers, Dream Machine, who were just dropped from their record label after an interview in which they expressed disagreement with 3rd wave feminism and lack of support for open borders policies. The band said the following.

“We live a more old-fashioned lifestyle and were already secretly disliked by a large number of people in the Austin scene, so we think it’s also a little bit of frustration they’re letting out on us, too. This especially proved itself when they didn’t come out with valid arguments against us, just personal attacks like ‘go back to Bosnia’ and ‘I hope you die/kill yourself’ and ‘maybe they should’ve killed you in that war.’ Isn’t it beautiful how the left is so peaceful, tolerant and filled with kind, gentle, good-hearted people?”

Ironically, band member Doris Melton originally came to the U.S. as a legal immigrant and refugee herself. Sumerian Records, who released the latest album from Stray from the Path, have not responded thus far to request for comment.

[Featured Image by Stephanie Keith/Stringer/Getty Images]