No, Depeche Mode Is Not “The Official Band Of The Alt-Right”
The group has denounced Richard Spencer’s “joke.”
On Thursday, neo-Nazi and leader of the 'alt-right' movement Richard Spencer said Depeche Mode is "the official band of the alt-right" outside of the Conservative Political Action Conference, New York Magazine political correspondent Olivia Nuzzi tweeted.
A representative for Depeche Mode distanced the band from Spencer and the alt-right in an email to The FADER. "That claim is so beyond ridiculous. Depeche Mode has no ties to Richard Spencer or the alt-right and does not support the alt-right movement."
Spencer later claimed he was joking and called himself "a lifelong Depeche Mode fan." However, his Reddit history as compiled by The Tab, reveals that Spencer has pinned his ideology to the band before. Asked by another user for the “fashiest 80s electropop bands,” Spencer named Depeche Mode and New Order.