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White/European Gangs/Subcultures
What are they
Most White Gang members are actually part of unorganised subcultures that dress in a similar manner and listen to a unifying style of music.
Skinheads are linked by a common form of clothing and hair style. There is what is known as a true Skinhead, who must also have the right attitude and listen to the right music and be strong in his beliefs. Female Skinheads are called “Skin Girls”, and the females who associate with them and dress similar but don’t cut their hair short are called “Boot Girls” (some people call “Skin Girls” “Boot Girls” as well & vice versa). Some people call all Punks, Skins and their associates “Boot Boys” or “Boot Girls”.
The term “White Boys” also includes Skinheads but not all White Boys are Skinheads, they are all linked by the fact they are either “White Power” (the clear belief that whites are greater than others) or “White Pride” (pride in the white race).
Not all Skinheads are “White Power” or “White pride”. A small number in NZ are part of a world wide group called SHARP (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice), there are also other variations, such as Red Skins (communists), Anarchists who follow the old Punk styles of music and beliefs, but the most common type of Skinhead in New Zealand are called “Oi Skinheads”. This name comes from the music style called “Oi”, an offshoot of Punk.
Skinhead Clubs
Skinhead Clubs have a different culture of joining their crews than the Motorcycle Clubs and most street gangs,
Skinhead Prospects are called Privates or Recruits, (these names are to clarify the military nature of some Skinhead Clubs and to separate them from the Motorcycle Club structural names). Most Skinhead clubs have Representatives not Presidents because they do not like authority even those in their own subculture. A Representative or simply “Rep” is the person who speaks for the club to other clubs, he also coordinates the member’s activity (often though this is a position in name only and other strong personalities in the club actually run things). Sometimes members who put themselves as the boss of a Skinhead Club end up being resented by other members and eventually this will cause fighting and the destruction of the club. Skinheads and White Boys have had many small clubs that have started up and disbanded within a year or even months. Often the members who leave will then try to set something else up. Often it is a case of someone wanting to have more control so he sets up his own thing and tries to recruit for it.
Traditionally Skinheads wore a tidy working class style of clothes. These would be a shirt with braces worn up, and their jeans rolled up to show high lace-up boots. Most would have worn blue jeans and hard wearing dress pants. The original Skinheads considered a skinhead hair cut to be number 4 comb and down to 0 comb. This has evolved into a more military look. A common Skinhead look now would be black jeans, high lace-up black boots without jeans rolled up (however some skinheads still roll them up); if braces are worn they are likely to be hanging down. T-shirts with prints on them are also common, these would have band names, political statements or something with offensive insignia. Some Skinheads still keep to the old style knowing it is less trouble and obvious to the public and they can get on with their jobs and lifestyle without too much interference. The hair length for an active Skinhead is now number 2 comb down to 0 comb.
White Boys often look similar to Skinheads with short hair and many wear boots and dress in similar clothes. This can be said for many Bikers now as well. It is part of the evolution of the street cultures, as they intermingle they adopt each others styles eventually they look similar. A White Boy can dress in any way he feels though. So there is no real uniform for a typical White Boy subculture.
Other White/European subcultures:
Alternatives are a mutation of the Punks and Hippies, it mostly has middle class left wing people in it, but there are also a number amongst them who follow Odenism and other ancient European religions, this has connected these small few with Skinheads and White Boys who share those religions. The Alternatives are well known for being anti animal testing, and other green issues such as legalising cannabis and anti GE products. They dress in all kinds of styles, but boots are still common although plain sneakers are also common. All different hairstyles are amongst their movement with dread locks and punk hairstyles being the most common. A few of them are old Punks and Heavy Metlers who went into being more serious and more involved with their political beliefs.
Skaties have had their time back in the eighties and re-emerged in the 90’s. They have also seen the mutation of new fashion and there has been the integrating with other subcultures, some Skaties looking like and dressing like Homies, while the others have become Alternative or Punk in their style and the music they listen to. With some of these subcultures however there is no law or punishment for not listening to the right music accept peer pressure and what is in at the time. Skaties could be a fashion fad or it could have some die hards who will stay Skaties and influence others in that style for years to come, regardless of what else is in.
Gothic’s have been around nearly as long as Punks, they could be considered to be part of the alternative movement also; however they have their own distinct style, music and culture. They dress in black; there are tidy Goths who dress in black suits and the others who dress in anything and everything. Many are into a suicidal fashion and the music they listen to is often Satanic and life hating. Many of these follow Satanic or other anti Christian religions. In New Zealand there have been a few cases of them being activists against Christian places of worship and cemeteries. These have included digging up skeletons and other forms of desecrating graves.
Heavy Metlers are also commonly anti Christian and will often be found in the same circle of friends as Goths and Alternatives. Again though there has been a number of Metlers who have become Skinheads. They started out by hanging out with them and then they would dress similar and then shave their hair. Most Metlers have long hair and wear denims or leather jackets and jeans. Cowboy boots were common in the eighties but over the years more practical foot wear is common like lace up boots and white basket ball boots, however this subculture is not about looks or shoes, it is about hard music and hard life. They are more working class then the Hippies and Alternatives.
Bogans/Petrol Heads/Boy Racers
These guys have revved up on our streets for a few years now, they are not new, but it seems like there are more of them. They have no common music or dress code. It is all about cars and parties.
Origins
Modern White Youth Sub cultures were first seen in the form of Teddy Boys and Mods. These fought each other as well as the fathers of the Bikers known as Rockers or Greasers.
Skinheads started in the East end of London and grew to a world wide “movement”. It started with the “Hard Mods” in 1966-67, who had split from the other Mods who became the “Art Mods” (the perent movement of the Hippies).
1967-1968 The Hard Mods evolved into Skinheads.
1969 was the year of the Skinheads; soccer stadiums were full of Skinheads. The media was full Riots and Gang wars. The British authorities got worried about the large numbers and started a campaign to halt the growth of this violent movement. This included police harassment on a large scale. Skinheads at this time also had large conflicts with Biker Gangs and Hippies.
1970 This lead to too many Skinheads leaving the scene and some becoming Suedheads, (they had longer hair and more expensive label clothes) some stayed true to being Skinheads though, and kept the Traditional style alive.
1976 The Punk Movement rises into notoriety. With this came the beginnings of the new Skins with chaos and Anarchist ideology. Often this took the form of wearing communist and Nazi regalia as an offensive tool. It worked and many skinheads started to get involved in the political policies of the left or right ring groups of the day, such as the “British National Front”. Oi, music was a harder more street version of Punk that the Skinheads and more aggressive working class Punks listened to. The bulk of the Punk scene was going the way of the “Art Mods” and getting too left wing and liberal for most skins and working class Punks. The New Zealand Skinhead Subculture is the result of working class migration to New Zealand from Britain.
1980 Skins and punks are separated and the second wave of skins has become its own world wide movement. It has mainly as been the White Power Skinheads who the world has seen, but also the Chaos, and Anti political Skinheads (who become known as Oi Skins) have also become world wide. At this time New Zealand Skinheads and Punks are still in a mutual scene and known around the country as Boot Boys referring to all boot wearing youth.
1984 the punk movement is dying out world wide, the New Zealand Skinhead scene well established with Skinhead clubs in most major centres. Most of the first clubs had names based on their city like “Auckland Skinheads”, “Christchurch Skinheads” and “Southland Skinheads” and they were territorial. Other crews like the Droogs who were formed from the idea of the “Boot Boy” club in the “Clockwork Orange” movie. These old crews have members who will carry on considering they are members of that club even though the club is not active as a club anymore.
Skinheads
New Zealand Hammer Skinheads, Valkeries, Skinhead Soldiers (Auckland, Wellington, Hawkes Bay)
1988 Hammer Skinheads where founded in Dallas Texas USA.
It started with the Confederate Hammerskins in Dallas and spread throughout the United States establishing new chapters with different names, Northern Hammerskins (Northern States and Canada), Eastern Hammerskins, (Eastern States), Western Hammerskins (Western States). In Europe interest came through bands that were travelling there that had Hammerskin affiliations and had songs that made those connections clear. Big court cases also took the Hammerskins name to a world wide recruiting pool. It took time to set up chapters as they only give membership to people who have been on probation and meet the members closest to them face to face. The First European Chapter was Bohemia Hammerskins in Czechoslovakia, this chapter then helped others to set up around Euro. Including a new chapter in Slovakia when the two countries there split. Britain and Switzerland were also among the first, and Germany formed chapters for each state there such as Saxony, Mecklenburg, Berlin etc. (8 chapters with up 150 members nationwide). Other chapters included Charlemagne Hammerskins in France; Australian Skinheads visiting the USA also probated and set up the Southern Cross Hammerskins in Australia on their return by 1993. In 1996 Southern Hammerskins (SHS) was established in New Zealand and made an official chapter of the Hammerskin Nation (the name of the world Organisation for Hammerskins) in 1997 with help from Southern Cross HS.
Renegade chapters have started around the world from time to time because of the difficulty of joining the Hammerskins Nation. These have included the “Aryan Guard Hammerskins” who had set up chapters in Sweden, Germany, and Australia and tried to set one up in New Zealand. This was stopped by SHS in 1997.
Around 1998 the SHS changed their name to New Zealand Hammerskins to follow suit with International changes..
Hammerskins are Drug free, highly organised and have a defined Uniform with side patches. They are the Leading White Power Organisation in New Zealand, the first to have a pure white policy.
They are a stand alone club but associate with Blood and Honour and Satan’s Slaves Motorcycle Club. Their female supporters have a club called the Valkeries. Other supporters used to have a support T-shirt with Skinhead Soldiers on it.
New Zealand Hammer Skinheads T-shirts
Skinhead Barstards, (Christchurch)
1998 founded in Paparoa Prison.
National Front Skinheads, Skinhead Berserkers (Auckland, Hamilton, Bay of Plenty, Hutt Valley, Wellington, Taupo, Nelson, Palmerston North, Feilding, Foxton, Christchurch, North Canterbury, North Otago, Dunedin, Invercargill, Gore, Western Southland, Hawkes Bay, )
1992 Founded as the Skinhead Nation, spread throughout the South Island and had members in the lower North Island. The main crews that helped to get it going were the Southern Skinheads and the Psycho Skins.
1993 became the Skinhead Union. The membership changed dramatically and there had been conflict with Motorcycle Gangs. The Skinhead Union was very successful with unifying Skinheads all over New Zealand. The Skinhead clubs that joined the Union were, Southern Hammer Skinheads, Skinhead Barstards, Booserss, Stokes Valley Firm, New Plymouth Skins and many individual skins. The leaders of the Skinhead Union were linked with the New Zealand Fascist Union in 1998.
1999 The Skinhead Union joined the National Front. It then changed its name to National Front Skinheads (NFS). This caused more problems and eventually most of the clubs that had joined the Skinhead Union left or chose to not support the new Federation. By this time there were so many individual Skinheads involved that National Front Skinheads T-shirts were printed and sold throughout New Zealand.
2002 There are now chapters in several states in the USA and Australia, plus the Europe branch with chapters in Finland, France and Germany.
National Front Skinheads T-shirts
Kaos Skins (Hamilton/Tauranga)
1999 Established, key members are currently in prison.
Chaos Skinheads (Wanganui/Wellington)
Set up by old Skinheads in jail. They are “Oi Skinheads”. It takes 4 years to gain full membership. This would be the longest probation time for any Skinhead Club.
Fourth Reich Skinheads, (Nelson, Christchurch, Dunedin)
White Boys
Bandenkreig (Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin, Invercargill)
1990-91 this group was set up by the Road Knights MC for they’re Skinhead and White Boy supporters. Bandenkreig means “Gang War”
Blood & Honour (Auckland, Hawkes Bay)
This is not an organised club. It is formed to promote white oriented music.
It was first set up in the mid eighties in Britain by Ian Stuart Donaldson (the lead singer of Screwdriver, a popular band amongst White Power Skinheads). It has been set up by a few different people during the late 1990’s.
Blood & Honour
T-shirt
Defunct Skinhead/White Boy clubs/crews
Aryan Brotherhood (Auckland)
Aryan Brotherhood (Hawkes Bay)
Auckland Skinheads
Canterbury Skins (Christchurch)
Christchurch Skinheads
Back Yard Boozers, later known as Boozerss (Christchurch)
Barbarian Skinheads (Invercargill Prison)
Droogs (Wellington)
NP Skins (New Plymouth)
Mount Monganui Skins
Mount Monganui Boot Girls
Psycho Skins (Christchurch) an attempt to set this up by an old member in Auckland failed
Red Squad (Invercargill, Dunedin)
Spoilers (Wanganui)
Stokes Valley Firm (Hutt Valley)
Southland Skinheads (Invercargill)
Southern Skinheads (Christchurch Branch of Southland Skinheads)
South City Skins (Invercargill)
The Firm (Christchurch)
Toxic Avengers (Palmerston North)
United Skinheads (Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin)
United Front (Christchurch)
White City Skins (Hut Valley)
West Coast Independent White Pride (Greymouth, Westport)