Newsweek Retracts, Apologizes for Piece Praising Assault of White Supremacist

Newsweek apologized Tuesday after publishing a piece that relished in the assault on white supremacist Richard Spencer Friday as he was counter-protesting at an anti-Donald Trump demonstration in Washington, D.C.

“The Infinite Joy of Watching a Nazi Get Punched to Music,” Newsweek culture editor Joe Veix wrote. “On a day when many Americans were despairing over what they see as the transition of power to a fascist demagogue, it was a small moment of reprieve. It was possibly the first entertaining day on the internet since the election.”

“Like any resilient meme, the remixes started to appear. In this case, the game was simple: sync the punch up with a memorable moment (often percussive) from a hit song. It was…beautiful…” he continued. “Watching a smug Nazi get blasted by brave fists of justice has always been and will always be entertaining.”

After being up for around two hours, the article disappeared. Newsweek then apologized on Twitter.

Newsweek has retracted a story about a meme related to the assault of Richard Spencer, published on Jan. 24.

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) January 24, 2017

The story did not meet the ethics and standards of Newsweek. We regret its publication.

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) January 24, 2017

[Image via Shutterstock]

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