PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — Enforcement actions are being declared against the neo-Nazi National Social Club-131 (NSC-131) and individual members Christopher Hood and Leo Anthony Cullinan for violation of and conspiracy against the New Hampshire Civil Rights Act in connection with an incident in July.
New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella and Portsmouth Police Chief Mark Newport announced the actions on Tuesday.
According to court documents, the Portsmouth Police Department received 911 calls stating men were hanging signs that read “Keep America White” from the Stark Street overpass overlooking Route 1 in Portsmouth on July 30.
The enforcement actions alleged that Hood led a group of NSC-131 members, including Cullinan, unlawfully trespassed on public property, and conspired to violate New Hampshire's Civil Rights Act.
Court documents stated four officers from the Portsmouth Police Department responded to the incident.
"Upon arriving they observed approximately 10 men gathered on the overpass wearing hats, sunglasses, and face coverings emblazoned with 'NSC-131' or '131,'" the complaint stated. "One man was not wearing a face covering, and he was later identified as Christopher Hood."
The action alleges the July 30 incident was "plainly" racially motivated.
If found guilty, "each violation of the Civil Rights Act allows for a maximum civil penalty of $5,000. Violations of the Civil Rights Act also empower the court to restrain the defendant from committing future violations of the Civil Rights Act and other hate-motivated conduct for three years," a news release issued by the NH AG said.
Members of the New England-based NSC-131 group recently marched through Lewiston's Kennedy Park in October, targeting members of Maine's Somali population.