Eminem, who has a tattoo of a swastika on his chest, is among a growing number of artists who are being tattooed by tattooists with neo-Nazi or white supremacist ideology.
The tattoo of an eagle and the Star of David symbolising the Nazi symbol are common symbols of neo-Nazis, white supremacists and neo-fascist groups, as is the swastika and the word ‘f***’.
However, the term ‘neo-Nazi’ itself is not new to tattooing.
In the past, neo-nazi and white supremacist tattoo artists have been linked to a number of attacks, including a string of stabbing and shooting attacks at a Jewish school in London in 2009, and a string attack on a synagogue in Manchester, England in 2015.
In 2016, rapper Eminem’s tattoo was also reportedly made by a neo- Nazi tattoo artist.
“I don’t care who you are,” Eminem said at the time, “I just wanna know who youre from, and what your background is.”
This year, a number other artists are being targeted with racist and anti-Semitic imagery by tattoo artists with neo:nazi or white supremacists.
The images include the swastikas of Adolf Hitler and the white supremacist symbol ‘F*** you, f*** you’ (which translates to ‘I’ll f***ing kill you’).
These tattoo artists are now being targeted by law enforcement in an attempt to identify them, according to the Guardian.
The UK government is considering whether or not to outlaw the tattooing of neo: nazi or neo- nazi symbols, as the Guardian reports.
In February 2017, a man was arrested in Spain for tattooing Nazi symbols.
The man was charged with ‘tattooing with intent to offend’ and ‘attempting to incite a racial hatred’ and he will appear in court on May 12.
In October, rapper J Dilla was arrested for wearing an ‘X’ on his arm that said ‘F**k Israel’ and in June 2017, another rapper, Diddy, was charged in California with ‘hate crimes against Jews’.
J Diddy was later released on bail after the charges were dropped.
On Friday, rapper Lil Wayne, whose real name is Jay-Z, was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence and was released from jail after posting $500 bond.
In July, the rapper Ice Cube was arrested and charged with murder and other crimes, including the murder of a black man.
Ice Cube’s trial will start on July 16.
In May, rapper Kendrick Lamar was arrested after a video surfaced showing him punching a man in the face and spitting on him.
“We ain’t out yet, but we are going to get here,” he said.