A white supremacist group gathered in Connecticut to call for action following an incident that involved the assault of a teenage girl.
Members of NSC-131, a neo-Nazi group, were seen holding signs outside Greenwich Town Hall on Sunday, April 28, according to a Telegram post shared by Patch. Photos show them carrying signs that read: “New England is Ours, The Rest Must Go” and “Anti-Whites FAFO.”
The demonstration was in response to an incident that happened at Byram Park on April 9, a few weeks before. Police told the Greenwich Times that teens were at the park for a cookout when things went wrong.
Videos circulating online show the girl, who appears to be white, getting jumped on the ground after she was accused of saying a racial slur. “She said the N-word, got hopped,” one of the captions said.
“Hit me again, n***a,” the girl reportedly said.
“What?” a shocked bystander responded.
When officers arrived at the scene, the crowd cleared. The victim was taken to a local hospital, and two people were arrested days later. Officials were also expecting to take three other people into custody.
“As first selectman and as a citizen of our town, I was appalled at the video that was shared on social media of the fight that occurred at Byram Park the other night,” First Selectman Fred Camillo said, per the Times. “As always, violence of any sort will not be tolerated in the Town of Greenwich.”
Police are investigating the racial aspect of the situation and whether the video highlighted “accurate depictions of the event,” local police captain John Slusarz told the outlet.
NSC-131, known as the Nationalist Social Club based in New England, is known for flash demonstrations and protests. Expanding beyond to other wings in the U.S. and Europe, their goal, according to the Anti-Defamation League, is to build “an underground network of white men” willing to go against their “perceived enemies.”
The club is also affiliated with other hate groups like the Proud Boys and Patriot Front — whose members notably were charged in connection to the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection. In their post on Telegram, NSC-131 left a message for officials.
“We would remind the legislators of Connecticut and District Attorney Paul J. Ferencek that the best remedy for NSC 131 is proper punishment for minorities that ruthlessly attack our people,” the group wrote. “Hate crime charges or we’ll be back.”
Police informed the Patch that the group held their hour-long protest and left the area without incident.
“Whatever this group’s misguided intent or its reason for being here, none of the participants committed a crime,” said Camillo in a statement. “The right to free speech must be respected, no matter how unsavory that speech, balanced with the rights of Greenwich residents and our commitment to public safety. To assure public safety was maintained, an additional police presence was maintained throughout the protest,” Camillo added.