Panzerfaust defend themselves against Nazi claims made by Ohio venue, Uada moves show in solidarity

Amidst an ongoing tour across the United States with Profanatica, Canadian black metal band Panzerfaust has been embroiled in a heated dispute over Nazi claims made against them by an Ohio venue.

In a now-deleted statement, Columbus, Ohio venue Ace Of Cups posted this message on social media:

"In regards to last night

We became aware during last nights show that one of the bands on stage aligned with white supremacy and far right ideologies. This was a show booked by an outside promoter Starwood Presents and not the bar directly. We failed to do our due diligence by looking into these bands prior to the show. We became aware of the issue as the show was happening and promptly removed the band from our venue. It's our understanding that the band in question that we removed last night was added to the tour after the show was booked, and Starwood was unaware of this bands beliefs. When it was brought to us we immediately told him to remove the band, and he immediately agreed and acted. We are all truly sorry for not catching it sooner and we accept responsibility for not preventing this before it happened. If you've been to our venue or talked to any of our staff, you know that we do not associate with or tolerate this type of behavior. Moving forward we will do better to vet the bands brought in by outside promoters as well as the shows we bring in ourself. We want to create a space that is safe for others to enjoy live music and events in."

Panzerfaust, on the other hand, has responded rather assertively to being labeled as Nazis. They categorically denied any white supremacist or far-right sympathies. The band demanded evidence to support the allegations and announced their intention to pursue legal action against the venue for the harm caused.

It has come to our attention that defamatory and slanderous allegations have been made against us by last night's venue Ace of Cups in Columbus, Ohio. Let it be known that we will not, under any circumstances, be making any groveling apologies. These allegations of supposed far-right sympathies are false, as any Panzerfaust listener already knows. If the Ace of Cups has evidence - present it now. No such evidence has, or ever will, exist.

We have already sought legal council and will be seeking damages and financial compensation for this indiscretion.

For any of those who - despite any evidence - continue to entertain these absurd notions, let us be the first to tell you to take a number, get in line, and kiss our fucking asses.

Panzerfaust out.

In a show of solidarity, Pacific Northwest black metal band Uada decided to move their scheduled tour stop on September 11 from Ace of Cups to No Class in Cleveland, Ohio.

Uada's statement read:

Due to the recent unfounded and slanderous accusations made by the Ace of Cups venue towards our labelmates PANZERFAUST, we have decided to move our scheduled event at Ace of Cups in Columbus over to No Class in Cleveland, Ohio on September 11th.

We send our support and applaud Panzerfaust for acting quickly in standing firm against those who have tried to sabotage without means. As advocates for truth and freedom, we encourage all to do the same.

May the boots of war continue to trample the snakes and vultures of this world and the karmatic hammer swing and serve swiftly.

S.N.M!

#uada #crepusculenorthamerica #ghostbath #cloak #panzerfaust #snakesandvultures #snm

Uada further explained that the claims made against the band were "bullshit nazi and white supremacist allegations," further explaining, "We are very close friends with the band and have toured together three times in the past. We can tell you those claims are absolutely untrue and unwarranted."

The band's name, Panzerfaust translates to "tank fist" in English, and was also the name of a handheld anti-tank weapon that was used by the German military during World War II. The term is also used colloquially to mean "to pack a punch." The controversial name, along with their attendance at a rally called the "Freedom Convoy" in Ottawa last year were likely highlighted as points of concern raised to Ace of Cups that may have led to the venue's initial statement. The below report highlighted photos of Nazi imagery seen at the rally.

A post shared by Panzerfaust (@panzerfaustblackmetal)

After receiving backlash for attending the event, the band claimed that they are an apolitical entity and said they have been misrepresented, leaving a lengthy statement on Facebook explaining their reasoning for appearing at the rally:

Although we have spoken on this matter many times. Let us be absolutely clear as we repeat it for the people in the back: Panzerfaust is not a Nazi Band. Panzerfaust is not a white nationalist band. Panzerfaust is not a Far-right band. Panzerfaust is, at its core, an apolitical entity. We never wanted this fight. But if not us, who? And if not now, then when? Over the course of the past two years, we have seen the world, and more specifically, our home country of Canada undergo a radical transformation. We have lived more or less under a state of lockdown and restriction unprecedented in human history. Whatever your views on whether or not this has been justifiable is not relevant. What is undeniable, however, is that through the course of these measures, we have seen lives lost, businesses ruined, savings disappeared and families divided. Most importantly, we have seen our rights turned into privileges, and our freedom become contingent upon our compliance to government edicts. As a result of this, what has culminated is "The Freedom Convoy" which has made its way from across Canada, to ultimately arrive in our nation's capitol of Ottawa. For those who are not familiar, you can find info online. There have been concerted efforts by our politicians and by our national media entities to discredit this movement as "fringe", "extremist", and holding "unacceptable views." Nothing could be further from the truth. This past weekend, we traveled several hours to show our support. Although we do not necessarily adhere to all of what this convoy has demanded, the broader movement has been right on the foundational points: No more lockdowns. No more mandates. No more "Us and Them" society. As we approached the vast radius of the city, we witnessed thousands of people standing along the overpasses and along the roadsides, many adorning flags, some with signs, others without, but invariably waving with undying support. As we entered the city, we saw what can only be described as people truly unified. People of all races. All ages. All political persuasions. Jubilant. Standing for one cause: Freedom. It would be impossible to say whether or not anyone throughout the expanses of the crowds held "unacceptable views", however the undeniable mood of the people was that of inspiritive zeal. We observed the smiles of tens of thousands of people as they embraced one another and sang in unison as if a cry of free people. Today we watched as our Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau reduced this extraordinary sight to behold as an extremist rally, inviting the likes of neo-nazis and white supremacists to its ranks. Our media seemed quite fine with repeating these remarks: Lock, stock, and barrel. We felt compelled as a band, and as an impenetrable front to say unequivocally that this was not true. They are lying to you. Let us repeat that. Our politicians and our media have lied about the events of this past weekend. We witnessed no racists. We endorsed no hate. We wished no ill will upon anyone. We simply exercised our democratic right to protest and freely assemble. If nothing else is to come of this, then at least it may embolden a conversation to take place - and that is worth it for its own sake. We will not apologize for standing up to injustice. We will never accept a society of medical apartheid. We will not be fooled by authoritarianism masquerading as benevolence. We are free people. We will not bend. We will not cower. And although, we may not be vindicated today, or tomorrow, know that there is iron in our words. We will close with the following lines that we would all do well to reflect upon: "We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men – not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular." -Edward R. Murrow