After a televised assault on white nationalist leader Richard Spencer, social media users, pundits and ethicists are all asking the same question: Is it OK to punch a Nazi?

Despite attempts to rebrand themselves as ‘alt-right,’ the far-right contingent that Spencer represents are Nazis. At a November rally in Washington, the crowd responded to Spencer’s address with Nazi salutes. Spencer himself used the phrase “hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory” in his speech, and has called for “ethnic cleansing.” Spencer and many others in the ‘alt-right’ are repackaging the ideology and rhetoric of Nazi Germany for a modern audience. Their philosophy and their actions are despicable. But should we be responding to their disgusting bigotry with violence?

In my view? It might be time to consider punching a Nazi.

I don’t consider myself a violent person. Nor, I assume, do most of the people who are feeling tempted to go and punch a Nazi right in the face. I believe in the power of nonviolent resistance. I believe in being the better person. I believe that reasoned debate and courageous empathy should be the foundation of our politics and our interactions with others. And yet, am I willing to risk a resurgence of the hateful ideology that has already claimed so many lives, all for the sake of my moral comfort?

If Nazism could be defeated by patient discussion and “engaging with the other side,” I would be overjoyed. Unfortunately, the racists, xenophobes and anti-Semites in question are unlikely to be swayed. We are never going to change these bigots’ minds, no matter how rational or heartfelt our arguments are. While I recognize and respect the humanity of the hatemongers whose ascent onto the national stage I have been forced to watch, they do not recognize mine. In addition, debating Nazis as if their poisonous, hateful beliefs are no different than any other political opinion only legitimizes them. We cannot “respect their opinions.” Genocide is not an opinion.

How do we combat the ideology of an enemy who refuses to be convinced or dissuaded? Well, to paraphrase a post-election slogan, we need to make Nazis afraid again. There is a reason I have seen more swastikas in the past six months than in 18 years, and it’s not because people suddenly decided that white supremacy might be a fun hobby. These people and ideas have always been here, lurking in the corners of our social consciousness. The election showed those who sympathized with Nazism that they were not alone and gave them the courage to come out of the shadows. These people believe that they can express their ignorant convictions without shame or fear of retribution. For the most part, they are right. That needs to change.

We as a society have to start treating Nazis as they are—spiteful, dangerous bigots bent on the subjection and destruction of anyone different from themselves. Nazis should be fired from their jobs. Rejection of Nazi and fascist beliefs should be fierce and universal—not just on Twitter and Facebook, but on college campuses, in government offices, on TV and in the news. Nazis should be social outcasts. We need to show anyone considering sharing their racist and vile perspective that they are part of a tiny and reviled group, and that their membership in it will bring them nothing but pain and humiliation.

This strategy may seem harsh. It certainly will not endear us to Nazis, and it may even deepen their hate. I am not trying to change their minds. I am trying to prevent anyone not already poisoned by their vicious evil from thinking of Nazis as anything other than pathetic fearmongers. Does wanting to intimidate Nazis make me as bad as them? I’m not losing much sleep over it. Publicly shaming the unrepentant racists whose goal is the rebirth of an institution that wiped out six million of my people? It seems almost polite.

And if the proposals I have made here don’t seem to be working, if Nazis still find the courage to rear their heads in public, then yes, I think we should start practicing our right hooks. If the only options are either ineffectual half-measures or some old-fashioned social justice, then it’s time to put on your heftiest pair of boots and kick a Nazi in the balls. I would rather that we sacrifice a few inches of moral high ground and eradicate Nazism than preserve our nonviolent ideals while allowing a genocidal hate group to thrive. We promised Never Again. If the price of ensuring that never means never is a few dents in my code of ethics and a couple of bruised knuckles, then it is a price I am more than willing to pay.