Antisemitic ‘Heil Hitler’ song at Miami Beach club was a special form of cruelty | Opinion

The apologies have begun. Great. But that’s just the starting point for what’s really needed: a community conversation in South Florida about hate speech.

In case you haven’t heard, a video began circulating last week that appears to show a group of controversial influencers partying in a Miami Beach nightclub as the club plays Kanye West’s antisemitic song, “Heil Hitler.” That song has been banned in Germany and removed or restricted by U.S. music platforms due to its offensive and extreme messaging.

The actions in the video include what appear to be Nazi salutes, and the reaction has — rightfully — been intense. Repackaging hate speech into entertainment is beyond dangerous. It trivializes the murders of some six million Jews. It shows a tolerance for hate speech, antisemitism and bigotry. Free speech is one thing; hate speech, though, is the perversion of our constitutional rights and must be called out.

And for these actions to have taken place in South Florida, with one of the largest Jewish populations in the country, is a special form of cruelty. It’s utterly unacceptable.

The club, Vendôme, apologized over the weekend on social media. It has fired three people, according to the club’s Instagram post. The club also called the actions that led to the club playing the song “isolated.” It “permanently banned” the people involved, the post said, and has a “zero tolerance” policy toward antisemitism or any discrimination.

But what series of decisions led to all of this? As the Miami Herald reported, a video captured inside a van seems to show right-wing influencers Andrew Tate, Tristan Tate, Nick Fuentes, Clavicular, Sneako, Myron Gaines and Justin Waller blasting West’s song while arriving at a nightclub, according to footage posted on social media. And videos from inside Vendôme appear to show the same group of influencers partying and singing “Heil Hitler” during bottle service, again according to social media footage.

Fuentes is a Holocaust denier who had dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2022. The Tates are being investigated in Europe for crimes related to human trafficking. Their lawyer insisted on X that the brothers “condemn antisemitism and any glorification of Hitler.”

Now there are calls on social media for Miami Beach to investigate what happened, including reports that one of the influencers, Clavicular, was only 20, not old enough to drink alcohol at the club. If true, that investigation should happen, although it’s a bit like Al Capone getting arrested for tax evasion — it may work, but it’s not really the point.

Hate speech is usually protected by the First Amendment, so singing “Heil Hitler” will likely not land anyone in jail. The best antidote to hate is loudly condemning this behavior.

Our local leaders have been stepping up. Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner called the episode “disgusting” and raised the issue with CBS News about how it all happened. “Other club owners told me they’ve tried to get in before and were turned away,” he said. “I want to know how they got in, they seemed to be having a great time while the DJ played the music.”

Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava wrote on X: “Reports of Nazi slogans at a Miami Beach club are deeply disturbing and unacceptable. We stand against antisemitism and all hate, and expect swift accountability to keep our community safe and respectful for all.”

Miami Beach Commissioner Joseph Magazine told the Editorial Board he’s working in a private capacity with community leaders, including area club owners, to consider what can be done to stop this from happening again. The city has to be mindful of free speech rights, of course, but he also said Vendôme’s investigation falls short on transparency.

The discussion — and education — must continue. The Anti-Defamation League put it this way on X: “Imagine being Jewish, out for a fun night, and now you’re surrounded by people performing Nazis salutes to a song that glorifies the individual responsible for murdering 6 million other Jews. This is not ok.”

Hate should have no place in Miami Beach. This isn’t a matter for one club or one official to deal with. It’s a community issue. And it’s up to us, citizens and elected officials alike, to speak up and make sure this doesn’t happen again.