Danbury officials are condemning a “white power” rally that happened over the weekend, calling the group “cowards,” and saying hate has no place in the Hat City.
A group of people with their faces covered chanted “white power” and held a sign that said “Keep New England White” in Danbury on Saturday night.
“This is the present-day KKK, and we will unmask them,” said Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves (D-Danbury).
Danbury officials said it was a group of white supremacists who began their rally in front of the police station. Then, they walked down Main Street, chanting and doing the Nazi salute.
“Any time we see the Nazi salute, it really brings back all of those memories of the Holocaust,” said State Sen. Julie Kushner (D). “It’s an effort to terrorize our community.”
According to officials, the group appears to be called “Northeast Action.” They shared a message through the messaging app Telegram, falsely claiming that illegal immigrants can be police officers in Danbury.
What the group was referencing was the Danbury City Council, which voted 18-2 to expand police hiring to DACA recipients and long-term residents at their meeting on Sept. 2.
State Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan (D) also said in a statement:
“Saturday night, masked individuals stood outside Danbury Police Headquarters holding a banner that read ‘Keep New England White’ and shouting ‘White Power.’
Since the initial video surfaced, additional footage of the demonstration has been verified as originating from Northeast Action’s Telegram page.
What happened in Danbury is disturbing and deserves unequivocal condemnation. The idea that being white gives anyone a greater claim to the place we all call home is as disgusting as it is absurd.
Danbury does not belong to one race. Connecticut does not belong to one race. New England does not belong to one race.
Hiding behind masks while trying to intimidate your neighbors isn’t strength. It’s cowardice.
Those of us in public life also have a responsibility to recognize that words matter. When people are repeatedly told to fear their neighbors because of where they came from, what they look like, how they worship, or who they are, that rhetoric does not exist in a vacuum. We have a responsibility not to feed it, excuse it, or normalize it.
I stand with Mayor Alves and the overwhelming majority of our community in condemning what happened. These masked cowards do not represent Danbury.”
State Sen. Minority Leader Stephen Harding (R) also said in a statement:
The incident was disgusting and disgraceful.
I condemn it in the strongest of terms.”
“There must be zero tolerance for any acts of hate and racism and bigotry.
“We don’t condone, we don’t support organizations, individuals, or groups, such as this. It’s horrible. It’s horrible,” said Danbury Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour.
The rally comes weeks after multiple people were detained by ICE in Danbury, prompting multiple rallies in support of Danbury’s large immigrant community.
“To say that we are here because we want to make New England white again, or whiter — that to me is where there’s a red line, because I can understand a political view of a legal issue,” said Lucas Pimentel, of the organization Latinos for Educational Advocacy and Diversity. “What I don’t understand is saying that one group should have supremacy over everybody else. I do not agree with Nazi ideology in my own city.”
“We showed up yesterday to express our condemnation with signs. We are contacting elected officials,” said Gina Romano, of Greater Danbury Area Unites for Immigrants.
Immigrant support groups said they are here to help those in Danbury in light of this rally.
“We love you. You are what makes this city great, and we will do everything in our power to protect you,” said Romano.
Danbury police explained to NBC Connecticut that because the group was on a public sidewalk, they didn’t find any criminality, but said they are investigating.
NBC Connecticut has reached out to Northeast Action on Telegram and have not heard back.
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