The punk band Descendents have publicly responded to the fact that an ex-Oath Keepers spokesperson testified before January 6 committee while wearing the group’s merchandise.
Jason Van Tatenhove was the former national media director of the Oath Keepers, a radical far-right anti-government group. He began working with them in 2014 but said he stopped when they started falsely claiming that the Holocaust hadn’t happened. “That was it for me, I just could not abide,” he said.
Van Tatenhove testified before the January 6 Committee earlier today (12 July) and wore a shirt synoymous with punk band Descendents, apparently featuring the cover art from their 1996 album, Everything Sucks.
The Californian hardcore punk group, who formed in 1977, have since responded, writing on Twitter: “We completely disavow groups like the Oath Keepers and in no way condone their hateful ideology.”
While testifying, Van Tatenhove shared his fears for the future. “I spent a few years with the Oath Keepers and I can tell you that they may not like to call themselves a militia but they are,” he commented.
“I think we saw a glimpse of what the vision of the Oath Keepers is on January 6,” added Van Tatenhove. “It doesn’t necessarily include the rule of law… it includes violence. It includes trying to get their way through lies, through deceit, through intimidation and through the perpetration of violence.”
