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Michael Fanone was wearing the band’s shirt, with “Fighting Nazis Since 1996” on the back, at the time.
The Dropkick Murphys gave a shout-out to former D.C. Metropolitan Police Officer Michael Fanone on Thursday after he confronted a far-right activist during a congressional hearing — all while wearing a band T-shirt that read “Fighting Nazis Since 1996.”
Fanone, an officer who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6, disrupted a House hearing with former Trump special counsel Jack Smith by confronting a vocal 2020 election conspiracy theorist, Ivan Raiklin, Axios reported.
In the video shared online, Fanone is seen repeatedly telling Raiklin, who was also in attendance, to “go f*** yourself.”
“You’re a traitor to this f***ing country,” Fanone also told Raiklin, who got so close to him that two other former law enforcement colleagues had to restrain him.
In an Instagram post resharing a video of the incident, the Dropkick Murphys wrote, “Much love to Michael Fanone for standing up for the people.”
The post by the politically vocal Boston-based band said Fanone has been a fan from the beginning, dating back to their first Washington D.C. show in 1996.
Hundreds of comments on the Dropkick Murphys’ post backed Fanone, saying “You’re awesome, brother” with a fist emoji, “Fanone is a patriot and a hero,” and “Michael Fanone is a national treasure!”
According to Axios, the altercation began during a recess in the Judiciary Committee’s hearing, with Raiklin starting the interaction by trying to shake Fanone’s hand.
Fanone repeatedly cursed at Raiklin and told him not to “pretend” they are on good terms. Raiklin replied, “Why do you have to lose your cool like that?”
In the video, Fanone said, “This guy has threatened my family, threatened my children. Threatened to rape my children … You sick bastard.”
Raiklin has since denied those claims and, in a post on X, said he might sue for defamation.
In response, Fanone took to his Substack to describe his side of the story.
“I will not be silenced by people who think the Capitol is just another stage for their extremist cosplay,” Fanone wrote. “So just like I said to his face, I’ll say it again. Ivan Raiklin, go f**k yourself.”
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