Influential punk rockers NOFX are joining the growing wave of artists speaking out against the deployment of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in American cities. The aptly named “Minnesota Nazis” finds the long-running Los Angeles-based act boldly addressing the recent surge in violence against citizens by ICE agents within the streets of Minneapolis.
The unflinchingly fierce track, which evolved from a song previously released as a part of their 2023 box set NOFXxX, directly addresses the death of Renee Good, who was shot and killed by ICE agents on Jan. 7. Her death, along with the killing of Alex Pretti just over weeks later, was reported worldwide and helped spark an increase in protests against ICE’s increasingly aggressive positioning in communities across Minneapolis.
“If those Minnesota Nazis are so sure they’re part of the master race, / Why do they cover their white faces when they’re shooting / Friendly white unarmed lesbians in the face?
Oh, there’s Nazis in my neighborhood / Old white bitter people can be so rude / When they deport all of their Mexicans / They’ll have to cook their own Mexican food.”
“I wrote a song called ‘Huntington Beach Nazis’ in 2022 when I spent 6 sober weeks there,” Fat Mike, NOFX lead vocalist and bassist, shares in a statement. “There’s actually an intersection of Rhein and Heil streets. Kinda weird… anyway, after all the recent heartbreaks in Minnesota, I decided to change some lyrics in the song and release it digitally. I even changed the title of the song to ‘Minnesota Nazis.’ I reckon it’s appropriate. This song isn’t gonna stop the absolute madness… but you do what you can to make this world a better place. Let’s look out for each other the best we can. Love > Hate… even though it doesn’t seem like it right now….”
Listen to “Minnesota Nazis” below:
