Berlin Cops Banned From Wearing "Skinhead" Attire like Ben Sherman and Fred Perry

berlin report · Mar 26, 2009

The Thor Steinar shop called Toensberg is three doors down from mine. Everytime I see the kind of people walking into that shop my hairs stand on end. I remember the day they opened there were police everywhere. Their customers, whole families of them, were coming out of black vans with tinted windows. Imagine a shop selling white hoods and robes opening a shop in Soho in NYC and the landlord not being able to evict them. That's how strange and scary this whole thing is.

dave · Mar 26, 2009

Originally Posted by fresnorich

First of all, I understand that skinheads are not by definition racist.

My question is this: Is there any change that a white male, living in California, around 40 yrs. old, with a short (buzz) haircut or even bald and wearing a Fred Perry polo might be misconstrued as or associated with a racist? I'd like to pick up a few FP polos, but I'm a public school teacher in a very diverse district and I don't want to take any chances.

I get the question all the time. I'm in my early 30s and I wear a longer #2 these days but I still sport the rest of the look most days. Like it or not it'll happen.

Tarmac · Mar 26, 2009

Originally Posted by nonissue

I don't think so. maybe if you wore red lace up doc martens too, but just polos would be fine.

Remember, he is asking what other people will think. Other people will think yes.

Biscotti · Mar 27, 2009

Most in the US do not even know about the relation.

Minkous · Mar 27, 2009

I think alot of movies and media misconstrued skin culture. So many people believe skins to be nazi's and rascist, just a few bad apples thats all. It's kinda like banning red and blue clothing because of the bloods and crips. I understand if the country has problems with some neo-nazi's but punishing fashion labels is not the way to go. It's not like Fred Perry or Ben Sherman endorse rascism.
(BTW its kinda crazy Biscotti and i have Morrissey as our avatar and we post next to each other)

robbie · Mar 27, 2009

Originally Posted by berlin report

The Thor Steinar shop called Toensberg is three doors down from mine. Everytime I see the kind of people walking into that shop my hairs stand on end. I remember the day they opened there were police everywhere. Their customers, whole families of them, were coming out of black vans with tinted windows. Imagine a shop selling white hoods and robes opening a shop in Soho in NYC and the landlord not being able to evict them. That's how strange and scary this whole thing is.

holy crap

PG2G · Mar 27, 2009

Cops don't wear uniforms?

acidboy · Mar 27, 2009

should they also be banned from driving volkswagens, or wearing flieger watches?

XenoX101 · Mar 27, 2009

Are there any rules on facial hair?

mgoose · Mar 27, 2009

Yeah I've nevr even heard this before, it's a little paranoid if you ask me. I have a couple of ben sherman shirts that I like just because they fit me well, I'm not going to stop wearing them just because skinheads like them as well.

obiter dictum · Mar 27, 2009

Originally Posted by Magician

(...) and Thor Steinar while on duty. Authorities consider these labels popular among neo-Nazis and view them as a sign of right-wing extremist views, which officers should not be associated with."
I don't know about those other labels, but Thor Steinar is verifiably neo-nazi. They use the norwegian flag and norwegian location names (Toensberg) to advertise their product and ideology. I can't even put into words how much I hate these people.

airportlobby · Mar 27, 2009

Interesting article on the subject, with some backrgound info:

The brand also stirred a recent controversy in Berlin after a plainclothes policeman wore a Thor Steinar shirt while on duty at a demonstration to mark the anniversary of Kristallnacht -- the Nazi-orchestrated pogroms that swept Germany on November 9, 1938. Dieter Glietsch, head of police in Berlin, said ignorance of the brand was not an excuse. "That a police officer walks around wearing Thor Steinar clothes during the anniversary of the pogrom calls for a thorough investigation," he told the Tagesspiegel newspaper. "It is not as if in Berlin people don't know what the label stands for."

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...587746,00.html

soulstylist · Mar 27, 2009

...two of the labels (Thor Steinar and CoNSDAPle) are deffinitelly not linked to, but main players in the neonazi scene. Money made by these companies actually goes to political work - BAD!

...Troublemaker, Pitbull and those I would rate more football/hooligan related...

...and if I ever get the adress of the idiotic jouranalist, who linked Perry with nazism (could have taken Levis as well)...

unjung · Mar 27, 2009

Third result for Thor Steinar on Google: http://www.stormfront.org/forum/showthread.php?t=414896. Weird.

The other stuff, frankly, I can understand it. When you're at work, there are certain things you can and cannot wear, and I think in the case of the police, there should be strict standards.

obiter dictum · Apr 1, 2009

Hilarious developments. Thor Steinar has apparently been bought by an arabian conglomerate. Needless to say, their "clientele" is not amused.

Berlin Cops Banned From Wearing "Skinhead" Attire like Ben Sherman and Fred Perry

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