Original article (in Montenegrin) was published on 2/4/2025; Author: Marko Vukajlović
Tensions in Krusevac. (archived here) A group of people gathered yesterday to protest the appearance of Serbia’s acting Minister of Defense, Bratislav Gasic, on a local television station. At the same time, according to Serbian media, a group of supporters of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and Gasic also gathered. In the end, everything concluded without incident. (archived here)
Pro-government media in Serbia seized on one detail from the protest, reporting: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) (archived: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
Blockers with Nazi symbols tried to block RTK in Krusevac
The photo accompanying the headline shows a young man in a black jacket with a visible logo and the word “nazi.” However, Serbian pro-government outlets failed to show the entire image—nor did they recognize the punk subculture reference.
The so-called “patch” the young man is wearing on his jacket is actually the logo and slogan of one of the most iconic punk bands of all time: Dead Kennedys. Around the logo, it reads:
“Nazi punks fuck off.”
However, in the photos shared by Serbian portals, the last word, “off,” is—intentionally or not—obscured by a backpack.
The translation is quite straightforward, and the slogan is well-known in rock and anti-fascist circles. On the official Dead Kennedys website (archived here), official merchandise can be seen bearing the clearly stated message “Nazi punks fuck off,” along with a crossed-out swastika.
The slogan comes from a song of the same name, released in 1981.
One of the band’s members, Jello Biafra, performed the song with other musicians in March and slightly altered the lyrics to criticize U.S. President Donald Trump. At the time, he explained that the lyrics were originally written as a critique of violent behavior at concerts: (archived here)
“Then, when it got to places that had real dictators and real fascists, like Brazil and Eastern Europe, it became more,” he told the audience. “It became kind of a revolutionary cry. So, no mothballing the song, especially because, for the first time ever, we are staring at real live fascist dictatorships with red, white and blue (and) brown shirts all over this country.”
The Facebook page of the band Crveni karton (archived here) drew attention to the Krusevac incident and the attempt at disinformation. In addition to the Dead Kennedys patch on his back, the young man in the photo is also wearing a patch with the Crveni karton logo on his sleeve. Judging by their post and the comments, it’s not the first time the same jacket has caused confusion—and the unsuspecting protagonist of this story appears to be a friend of the band.
N1 also reported on the case. (archived here)
The disputed reports are rated as disinformation.
The “Disinformation” rating is given to media reports that use well-known and accurate facts but interpret them in a misleading manner. These reports generally use accurate information to draw incorrect conclusions or claims, thereby steering the audience’s understanding of the media content in a direction that deviates from the actual meaning of the presented facts.
