Nationalist Social Club-131 or NSC-131 is a

neo-Nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

organization; the letters 131 stand for ACA or "

Anti-Communist Action Anti-Communist Action, also known as Anticom for short, is a right-wing to far-right organization based in the United States and Canada. The group has described itself as " the right's response to antifa." Anticom has espoused neo-Nazi ideology ...

". It was founded in 2019 in eastern

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

by Chris Hood, who had previously tried other

neo-fascist Neo-fascism is a post-World War II far-right ideology that includes significant elements of fascism. Neo-fascism usually includes ultranationalism, racial supremacy, populism, authoritarianism, nativism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration sent ...

groups such as

Patriot Front Patriot Front is an American white nationalist and neo-fascist hate group. Part of the broader alt-right movement, the group split off from the neo-Nazi organization Vanguard America in the aftermath of the Unite the Right rally in 2017. Patri ...

, the

Proud Boys The Proud Boys is an American far-right, neo-fascist, and exclusively male organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the United States.Far-right: * * Fascist: * * * * * Men only: * * * Political violence: * * * It has ...

, and the Base. The group first attracted the attention of anti-extremism researchers during the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...

in mid-2020, which NSC-131 members hoped to leverage to increase their recruiting. Along with the

, NSC-131 is one of the most active

white nationalist White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara. ''Hate Crimes''. Greenwoo ...

groups in

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

as of 2022.

Actions

Members of the group were arrested for participating in the

January 6 United States Capitol attack On January 6, 2021, following the defeat of then-U.S. President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election, a mob of his supporters attacked the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. The mob was seeking to keep Trump in pow ...

and increased its membership by 250 people in the wake of the attack. According to NSC-131, the group provided security to

Super Happy Fun America Super Happy Fun America (SHFA) is a Massachusetts-based Conservatism in the United States, right-wing political organization. SHFA and its leaders are known for their ties to white nationalism and the Far-right politics, far-right, and the organi ...

, although the latter group disclaimed any ties with NSC-131. In March 2022, it attracted attention by bringing signs to the Boston Saint Patrick's Day parade stating "keep Boston Irish". The group was condemned by the parade's organizer and local politicians including the mayor of Boston,

Michelle Wu Michelle Wu ( zh, t=吳弭, first=t; born January 14, 1985) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the mayor of Boston, mayor of Boston, Massachusetts since 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

The Dropkick Murphys Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (1998 ...

condemned the unlicensed use of their song, "The Boys are Back", in a 2022 music video produced by NSC-131 and threatened legal action in a

cease and desist letter A cease and desist letter is a document sent to an individual or business to stop alleged illegal activity. The phrase "cease and desist" is a legal doublet, made up of two near-synonyms. The letter may warn that, if the recipient does not disc ...

. Additionally, the Dropkick Murphys challenged NSC-131 to a street brawl on March 26 at Medal of Honor Park.https://twitter.com/DropkickMurphys/status/1506829202938605571 NSC-131 did not attend. In June and July 2022, the group spread fliers around towns such as

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and borough in Suffolk, England, of which it is the county town. The town is located in East Anglia about away from the mouth of the River Orwell and the North Sea. Ipswich is both on the Great Eastern Main Line r ...

, and

Topsfield, Massachusetts Topsfield is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,569 at the 2020 census. Topsfield is located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts. Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Topsfiel ...

References

External links

Profile
at the

Counter Extremism Project The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) is a nonprofit organization, non-profit non-governmental organization that combats Extremism, extremist groups "by pressuring financial support networks, countering the narrative of extremists and their online ...

*{{cite news , last1=Byrne , first1=Matt , title=Federal prisoner held in NH shines light on growing NSC-131 White nationalist movement , url=https://www.unionleader.com/news/social_issues/federal-prisoner-held-in-nh-shines-light-on-growing-nsc-131-white-nationalist-movement/article_d9366686-a6f4-52af-8710-e09eda7cf26b.html , access-date=11 June 2022 , work=Portland Press Herald , date=2021 , language=en 2019 establishments in Massachusetts Groups and movements involved with the January 6 United States Capitol attack New England Neo-Nazi organizations in the United States White American culture in Massachusetts