(NewsNation) — Dropkick Murphys, a Massachusetts-based Celtic punk rock band, has clarified why its X account was suspended in the wake of the band’s frontman calling out an audience member wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.
“We broke up with him first. We quit Twitter in 2022 when he was only half a Nazi. Then someone else took our handle, pretending to be our official account, so we filed a legal complaint to put a stop to that—which is why @dropkickmurphys shows as suspended,” Casey said in a statement.
“Look, we pulled our account because we didn’t want to be part of that guy’s empire. But if we were still on there, I’m sure he would have suspended us by now,” Casey added.
The “I’m Shipping Up to Boston” singer called an audience member’s black-on-black MAGA hat the “Elon Musk True Nazi edition,” as it’s the style the X owner is frequently seen wearing.
“If you’re in a room full of people and you want to know who’s in a cult, how do you know who’s in a cult? They’ve been holding up a f–king hat the whole night to represent a president,” lead singer Ken Casey said Saturday, according to videos posted by attendees.
Musk, a top Trump administration adviser, faced backlash in January for giving what some interpreted as a Nazi salute during an event following President Donald Trump‘s inauguration.
Casey then echoed a familiar anti-Trump sentiment: “This is America. There’s no kings here!”
On Monday, the band’s X account showed as suspended. Visiting their page brings up a message that reads, “X suspends accounts which violate the X Rules.”
According to USA Today reporting, Casey called out another fan in a MAGA hat during the band’s March 8 show in Clearwater, Florida.
In Florida, Casey said, “We don’t care if we lose fans because when history is said and done, we want it known that the Dropkick Murphys stood with the people. We stood with the workers.”
In 2022, the band’s attorneys sent a cease-and-desist to a neo-Nazi group using the song “The Boys Are Back” in a tweet, according to the Associated Press.
Dropkick Murphys also called members of the Nationalist Social Club-131, a white nationalist group, “losers” for their appearance at that year’s South Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade with “Keep Boston Irish” signs.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.