Frei.Wild’s Idiot Brigade

Frei.Wild—South Tyrolean rock band, sells tons of records to rural teenagers—got nominated for the Echo Award last year. Turns out they’re right-wing. Kraftklub and Mia withdrew. Echo kicked them out. Story over.

What happens next is jaw-droppingly stupid. A crew of Frei.Wild fans attacked Mia on Facebook, not at a protest or anything, just underneath a music mix she posted for a Kenzo collab. One: You’re disgusting! Ignorant fascists with red paint on your hands! Pathetic bourgeois trash! Another: Actually it doesn’t matter if Frei.Wild is right-wing as long as you’re not as undemocratic as them. Then: You’re so shit, you pseudo-moralists, you have no clue but you just run your mouths! Are you scared of the competition???

Frei.Wild’s whole thing is peace and anti-racism. Kids from small towns believe it. They really do. Then the moment anyone criticizes the band, these same kids explode online with aggression and name-calling. They’re not even smart enough to see what they’re doing. The music doesn’t just point them toward right-wing politics—it literally makes them dumber. Dumber and incapable of noticing that by acting this way, they’re admitting the other side was right about everything.