LEWISTON — Social media was abuzz Wednesday reacting to news that a neo-Nazi group had assembled in Lewiston days earlier only to be chased off by a man with a camera.
According to several reports, a group of about two dozen from the Nationalist Social Club-131 appeared downtown Lewiston on Sunday, assembling in Kennedy Park and walking through nearby neighborhoods.
In a video being circulated on Twitter this week, the black-clad, masked NSC-131 members are shown standing silently at the edge of Kennedy Park while a cameraman berates them. In that video, no signs are displayed and none of the members offered comment.
However, an image on the group’s page on the social networking service Gab shows members holding a sign stating “End Somali Violence” in front of Lewiston City Hall.
The group Nationalist Social Club-131 stands Sunday outside City Hall in Lewiston. Gab.com
A short time after they are confronted by the man with the camera, the group quietly walks away. They were reported to have left Lewiston soon after.
Police confirmed that the group had made an appearance in Lewiston but said there were no crimes committed or problems reported. The group was in Lewiston for an hour or less, they said.
Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline said he was disappointed that the group would come here at all.
“This isn’t the first time white supremacists have come to Lewiston — and it won’t be the last,” the mayor said. “However, we’ve done what Lewiston does: we’ve worked hard to create a community where all people are accepted and welcomed, and we don’t tolerate white supremacy here.”
According to several watchdog groups, NSC-131 is a neo-Nazi organization based in New England. The letters 131 are said to represent the letters ACA, which stands for “Anti-Communist Action.”
The group was founded in eastern Massachusetts in 2019 by Chris Hood, who had previously tried other neo-fascist groups such as Patriot Front, the Proud Boys, and the Base.
Among others complaining about the group’s appearance was The Council on American-Islamic Relations, which issued a news release Wednesday condemning the assembly.
“We condemn this hateful display intended to intimidate the immigrant community of Lewiston and stand in solidarity with all those targeted by this white supremacist hate,” the council’s national communications coordinator, Ismail Allison, said. “All Americans must come together to strongly repudiate white supremacy and all other forms of racial and ethnic bigotry.”
A message seeking comment, sent through the NSC-131 Gab page Wednesday was not returned.
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