Boixos Nois
| Els Boixos Nois | |
|---|---|
The logo of Els Boixos Nois
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| Established | July 7, 1981 |
| Type | Supporters' group, Ultras group |
| Club | FC Barcelona |
| Location | Spain |
| Coordinates | 41°23′48″N 2°09′36″E / 41.396556°N 2.160094°E |
| Website | boixosnois.com |
The Boixos Nois (English: Crazy Boys, from the Catalan word "Bojos" meaning crazy) is an ultras supporter group organised around the football club FC Barcelona, based in the Spanish autonomous community Catalonia. Founded in 1981 it was composed of left-leaning Catalan nationalists, until a surge of skinheads joining in the mid-1980s saw the political orientation turn from Catalan nationalism and socialism to far-right Catalan separatism and far-right Spanish nationalism. For many years the Boixos Nois enjoyed a close relationship with FC Barcelona until former president Joan Laporta banned their presence at games in 2003.
They are notorious in Spain for their violent behaviour and frequent clashes with authorities, with some members being convicted for death threats, murder, illegal firearms possession, extortion and drug trafficking.
"Boixos Nois" literally means "Boxwood Boys" in English but the original has actually a misspelling on the intended Catalan word "bojos" (crazy ones) which is pronounced similar as "boixos" (boxwoods).
Founded in 1981, the Boixos is a penya (Catalan), a Catalan mix between a financial support group and a fan club; where financial, political and social support are mixed. The Boixos Nois penya started as a small group of no more than 50 young fans, who strongly identified with pro-independence Catalan nationalism and left-wing socialism. They repeatedly demanded the resignation of president Josep Núñez, who they saw as authoritarian, and openly defied his presidency through chants and banners on matches.
In the following years, the city of Barcelona experienced an eruption in skinheads, who identified with right-wing separatism. The skinheads joined the Boixos Nois and slowly moved their political ideology from social-liberalism to fascism, causing factions within the group. Inspired by British hooligans, the remaining Boixos Nois became violent, causing havoc leading to mass-scale arrests. By now a mix of supporters of Catalan independence and neo-fascists, Boixos Nois featured prominently in racist violence.
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