A group of masked demonstrators carrying a white supremacist banner reallied in Greenwich for about an hour on Saturday afternoon and left without indident. The group NSC (Nationalist Social Club) issued a warning that hate crime charges should be filed against the perpetrators of an anti-white gang assault on a girl in Byram Park.
First Selectman Fred Camillo issued this statement "[On Saturday], a group from out of state came to Greenwich to protest an incident from a few weeks ago. The Greenwich Police Department was aware that they were coming and monitored the situation until they left. Whatever this group’s misguided intent or its reason for being here, none of the participants committed a crime. 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."
Democratic Town Committee (DTC) statement: "We abhor the fact that fellow citizens would cover their faces and attempt to stoke fear and hatred in the streets of Greenwich as a white supremacist group did this past weekend. It doesn’t matter whether the group claimed to be responding to a particular incident; the sign they wielded, and the Heil Hitler gesture they made as they chanted was chillingly reminiscent of Nazi Germany circa 1939, and poses a threat to our safety and well-being. Hate crimes are way up nationally. Antisemitism is at an all-time high. Greenwich is not immune. We have had several antisemitic incidences in our schools alone in recent weeks. We shouldn’t be surprised when hate shows up in our backyard, we must be ready to address it head-on. We cannot water down our response by espousing First Amendment rights above all else as some local leaders have done, we must condemn with conviction when Nazis march in our streets. Yes, the group was within their Constitutional rights to gather, but it is our moral responsibility to call out the harm their presence poses when we see and hear it."
ADL Information: According to a report published by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) last month, Connecticut saw a record number of incidents during the course of 2023, outpacing the national rate. Note: the numbers exploded as Antisemetic and anti-LGBTQ+ incidents rose and these are included in the broader white supremacist category.
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