Bryan Ferry’s comments are a disgrace. The early punks flirted with Nazi imagery in a bid to shock, as famously did David Bowie, but the backlash to both in the form of Rock Against Racism meant the swastika disappeared from punk clothing while Bowie apologised and later gave money to an Anti Nazi League carnival. What’s Ferry’s excuse? Gushing praise about the Nazis’ parades and flags goes beyond flirtation. Eric Clapton is still remembered for his racist comments about Enoch Powell and no-one will forget or should forgive Ferry’s comments now. Hitler’s Nazis murdered millions in an orgy of racist violence, and today their would-be descendants like Le Pen, Haider or the BNP in the UK want to take us back to racial genocide. This is no laughing matter – despite his belated weaselly apology, Ferry should be dropped from Virgin Records immediately to send out a message that the music industry has zero tolerance for fascism.