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Christopher Hood, the founder of NSC-131, a known neo-Nazi group, was arrested for fighting on Saturday outside of the Loring Greenough House in Jamaica Plain after his faction protested a Drag Queen Story Hour. The group wore masks to hide their faces and screamed, "off our streets." They also held a sign calling the people who ran the event "Pedo Scum."
Seth Rosenau, who was counter-protesting the event with several others, was also arrested for fighting, the Suffolk County prosecutor's office said. Police arrested others for trespassing.
Saturday's event is the latest in what officials say is a recent rise in clashes between white supremacist groups and counter-protesters on Boston streets. NSC-131 marched along the Freedom Trail in Boston on July 4 along with other white nationalist groups, reports at the time said. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu denounced the march. Vandals also spray-painted hate speech on an LGBTQ nonprofit on July 9.
Incidents like these are why Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced on Monday that his office would create a team dedicated to fighting back against hate crimes in the city.
“It’s clear to me that Massachusetts and Boston have become target destinations for groups that spread hate," Hayden said in a statement. "We saw that over Independence Day weekend with the Patriot Front march in Boston and just this weekend with the NSC-131 gathering in Jamaica Plain. It’s also clear to me that Boston is full of passionate, involved citizens who care deeply about current events and don’t shy away from expressing their views. I want to ensure that everyone involved in the wide public forum of ideas can do so without being harmed by others and without causing anyone harm."
U.S. Attorney Rachael S. Rollins also decried Saturday's demonstration and said white supremacists "are not welcome here."
“Every single person deserves to live their life fully and authentically as who they are," she said in a statement. "But, if your authentic self is a bigot that wants to harm, humiliate and terrorize people, you are not welcome here. ... In Boston, Massachusetts, we have a long history of standing up to hate and injustice. We don’t hide behind masks. ... We need to expose these cowards. As was shown by the swift response of Mayor Wu and the Boston Police Department this weekend, there is a zero-tolerance policy for white supremacists or any potential racially motivated violent extremist in Massachusetts."
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