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I actually agree. The Simon Erl Nazi witch hunt aspect of the whole Temple thing has totally eclipsed the issue at hand, which is that racism within the establishment was totally swept under the rug until they were faced with huge public outcry. I made a more detailed post in the vegan thread but my 2 cents is that Simon Erl comes across as more of an overgrown teenage edge lord, looking to wind people up by using naughty big boy imagery than a full blown neo-Nazi. I still think appropriating images like that is patchetic and offensive and if you think he's referencing a 15th century peasant revolt rather than Nazism by using the Wolfsangel symbol, you're being naïve.
Either way, regardless of Simon's beliefs, the way they treated that member of staff and disregarded her right to work in a place where racism isn't tolerated is despicable.
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ltc
@clockwork_killa
Just want to add my 2 cents on this whole thing.
I'm not close friends with Simon but I have known him personally for quite a while now and know many of his friends both here and in the US. I'm not trying to excuse his behaviour, his poor taste or his poor judgement and I think he has a lot to apologise for but at the same time I have an incredibly hard time believing he's a white supremacist. I have a hard time believing that someone would associate with people who are devoutly anti-racist all the while purposely hiding their own white supremacist beliefs. I have a hard time believing that he's just been hiding in plain site all along in a scene that is sadly all too used to dealing with Nazis. I also have a hard time believing that nobody noticed his "Nazi" art until now, it's not like he ever tried to hide it.
Much of his artwork treads a fine line between edgy and inappropriate but most of the symbols that people seem to be using as proof that he is a Nazi are symbols that have multiple meanings and pre-date their cooption by the Nazi movement. Yes that's a weak excuse and he should know better than to play with fire but there is a difference between juvenile "edginess" and actual white supremacist beliefs. I'm not saying its not problematic but accusing someone of being a white supremacist based on a few tattoos/drawings/stupid comments is not the way to deal with it.
The treatment of the employee at Temple was despicable and appropriate action should have been taken long ago but going from calling out the business and rightfully demanding they do something to calling Simon a Nazi, vandalising the shop, posting his address online, threatening his wife and kid and attempting to destroy his business and anyone associated with him is just such a disproportionate reaction. I'm not the only one that feels that way either, I've seen multiple posts from POC calling for restraint and calling for discussion not blind retribution. This ridiculous pitchfork wielding internet mob justice does absolutely nothing to solve the problems it claims to be fighting against.