A Bruce Springsteen fan club with nearly 20,000 members is closing after years of political disputes, its founders said.
Howie and Julie Chaz announced Sunday that they would shut down the “Spring-Nuts” Facebook page after 11 years. They said arguments among members had increasingly turned into personal attacks, bullying and hateful rhetoric.
“As the world grew increasingly divisive, hostile, those tensions inevitably spilled into our little corner of the E Street world,” the couple wrote, referring to Springsteen’s E Street Band.
Newsmax reports the Chazes, who describe themselves as “proud Jews,” said Springsteen’s endorsement of Michigan Democrat Abdul El-Sayed for the U.S. Senate contributed to the tension. They criticized El-Sayed’s ties to people they said express disdain for the United States and Jews, and pointed to his campaigning with influencer Hasan Piker. Piker said in 2019 that the United States deserved the Sept. 11 attacks.
El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers last week, according to the supplied account, and became the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate.
The Chazes said the page’s closure was not prompted by one endorsement or disagreement, but by the cumulative effect of years of division. They plan to relaunch their community around music generally and said they hold no ill will toward Springsteen.
Springsteen’s political activism has drawn criticism before. In July, Journey guitarist Jonathan Cain called on him to stop speaking out. Cain has described himself as a conservative. His wife, Paula White-Cain, has advised President Donald Trump since 2016.