HAMPTON — A group of self-proclaimed white nationalists caused a scene downtown last Saturday, as they stood on the sidewalk of the town's busiest intersection holding a 20-foot banner stating, "White Lives Matter."
The group of five white men dressed in khakis and black face masks claimed to be from the New England Nationalist Social Club, or NSC, a neo-Nazi group. They showed up during the weekly "Freedom Rally for America" held near the town Gazebo in downtown Hampton, upsetting those at the rally and many passersby.
"White Lives Matter" is a racist response to the civil rights movement Black Lives Matter, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
One white woman shouted out of her car to the men, saying "You give white people a bad (expletive) name... I hope you get your ass kicked."
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The town's selectmen and police said this week there is little the town can do about it as the group did not break any laws or town ordinances. And just like previous protests that have caused controversy in downtown Hampton, they said the speech is protected under the First Amendment and a permit is not required to picket or hold up signs on town property.
Selectmen Chairman Rusty Bridle, who also works for the town's Chamber of Commerce, said he thought the sign and demonstration was "tasteless" and it "doesn't need to be here."
"I don't know if there is anything the town can do," Bridle said. "People have their First Amendment rights. I feel bad for some of the businesses down there."
According to Hampton Police Deputy Chief Alex Reno, police sent an officer and supervisor to the town center Saturday morning after receiving a complaint concerning the demonstration. Reno said it was determined no laws were being broken: The demonstrators were on public land, not private property; there was no physical violence, traffic was not impeded, nor were sidewalks blocked.
After monitoring the situation to ensure the public's safety, Reno said, officers left because demonstrators were exercising their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech.
People holding up signs on the weekends near the town gazebo has been commonplace since the early fall, sparking outrage from several downtown businesses owners that have said the "political nature" of the signs are divisive and hurting commerce.
This was the first time the event, which advertises that "all are welcome," attracted a self-proclaimed white supremacist group. Organizers and attendees, including Selectman Regina Barnes, said the group was not a part of their rally.
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Have downtown Hampton protests encouraged white supremacists?
Molly St. Jeanne, owner of Wicked Flannel in downtown Hampton, said the weekly protest has "emboldened these white nationalists to feel comfortable doing this here."
"From the hateful signs targeting immigrants, to medical disinformation, along with the horrible anti-Semitic memes and angry comments online — I think this is a result of that behavior, regardless of if they are directly involved or not," she said.
St. Jeanne had previously complained about the Freedom Rally protests because some of the signs used offensive language, including one that said "(expletive) Joe Biden," and that those attending the rallies were taking away valuable parking for their customers.
"At this point, parking is not my concern," she said. "I don’t think parking matters if white nationalists are taking over the downtown. It’s the end of everything for everyone."
Hampton resident Matthew David Siden drove by the demonstrators and was upset by their presence in town, too.
"Not straight? Not white? Not Christian? Non-binary? These people think you shouldn't exist," he said. "And make no mistake: They feel comfortable setting up on this corner because of the weekly obscenity and conspiracy-driven Freedom Rallies. As a Jew, I lived here for 10 years and never felt unwelcome until now."
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Protest captured on video
Elliot Axelman said he participated in the Freedom Rally and started videotaping the five "young men" as soon as they unraveled their banner.
"My immediate reaction was to start recording because it felt like a setup of some sort," he said. "I thought that it could be a plot by BLM/Antifa, the feds, or local Democrats to get pictures of us associating with white supremacists."
He said when it became clear after speaking with them that they were "bigots," he and other attendees of the Freedom Rally decided to move across the street and later to Route 1 in Seabrook.
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"We were there to protest against corona-fascism and for freedom in general," he said. "Not to condemn non-whites. I am very white, and I am very proud of many of my characteristics, including my lineage. I do not believe in white guilt. I agree that all lives matter, including white ones."
The video, which was later posted to YouTube, shows Freedom Rally attendees moving their rally across the street to get away from the five men and later shows Barnes holding up a sign that states "We are not with the white nationalist infiltrators."
Barnes said she didn't want to comment, stating the video posted by Axelman "covers it all."
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What is the Nationalist Social Club? Why Hampton?
Witnesses said the five men held the "White Lives Matter" sign for more than an hour and passed out pamphlets to people asking what they were doing.
The pamphlet read "We are a social club of nationalists from New England focused on building a network of likeminded men and women dedicated to defending their lands and their people" and that they "oppose the criminal anti-American and anti-white street gangs ..."
It goes on to say "Our motivations to carry out the mission do not come from a place of hatred, but a love for our own people. No one else will protect us!"
Several members of the group were displaying the number 131, either on their face cloth or baseball cap. 131 is an alphanumeric code for the term “Anti-Communist Action.”
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the group was founded in 2019 by a handful of neo-Nazis in Eastern Massachusetts.
They "see themselves as soldiers at war with a hostile, Jewish-controlled system that is deliberately plotting the extinction of the white race."
The group’s typical street actions, according to the ADL, include the distribution of propaganda, public demonstrations, and efforts to “troll” or harass their aforementioned “enemies.”
Members of NSC recently protested outside the Seacoast Repertory Theatre's children's drag story hour, holding a sign that stated, "Drag Queens are Pedophiles!" They have also been linked to the 2021 vandalism of a mural in Nashua by spray painting messages like "Keep New England White" and "Death to Israel" as well as making online threats against state Rep. Manny Espitia.
Can anything be done to stop downtown demonstrations?
Selectman James Waddell said he's been asked in the past if the board could do anything about the protests in downtown Hampton.
Waddell said he has no issue with people expressing their First Amendment rights but does take issue with the signs that have vulgar language.
While the board can't limit speech, he said he's been asked to look into possibly limiting the hours they could protest.
The town's Planning Board recently took a similar approach in response to a "F--- OFF" banner put up on a home on Mill Road in 2020 in protest of a new development in the neighborhood.
They are asking voters at the March 8 Town Meeting to add wording to the town's sign ordinance that limits the owners of residential properties from displaying banners to two occasions per year, and for no more than 14 consecutive days per occasion.
However, Waddell said rather than curb political expression in downtown Hampton, he would rather see it just go back to the way it was.
Waddell said he's held signs at that intersection "lots of times for lots of different candidates."
"We used to do it early in the morning or late in the afternoon," he said. "We didn't do it during the busiest time downtown. We tried not to interfere with businesses. We tried to make sure it was done without any interference. We also didn't have any obnoxious signs. I wish we would get back to that and people will police themselves."
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