Share this @internewscast.com

The New Hampshire attorney general’s office filed a civil rights lawsuit against a neo-Nazi group on Wednesday alleging it disrupted a drag story hour at a café in June. 

Attorney General John Formella filed the complaint against 19 unnamed members of the New England neo-Nazi group NSC-131, which stands for Nationalist Social Club, and their leader, Christopher Hood, 25, accusing them of violating the state’s anti-discrimination laws for trying to stop the café’s drag story hour through acts of intimidation. 

The event, where drag queens read children’s books to kids, took place during Pride Month at Teatotaller, an LGBTQ-owned coffee shop in Concord, the state’s capital. A viral video posted by Juicy Garland, the drag queen hosting the event, shows the group of neo-Nazis wearing masks, sunglasses, baseball caps and matching shirts and pants, shouting, raising their right arms in unison and banging on the coffee shop’s windows.

“Acts of hate designed to terrorize an individual or business into violating our State’s antidiscrimination laws are simply wrong and will not be tolerated,” Formella said in a statement. “The Department of Justice will continue to enforce the State’s antidiscrimination laws to the greatest extent possible to ensure that people of all backgrounds can live free from discrimination, fear, and intimidation because of who they are.”

William E. Gens, an attorney for Hood, said he has not yet read the complaint but summed it up to “virtue signaling” by Formella.

“This attorney general has a rather narrow view of free speech and he’s lost and he’s going to try it again,” Gens said, referring to a similar complaint the attorney general filed against Hood in January that was later dismissed. “Maybe he thinks he’ll find a judge that thinks like he does. I hope not, not just for Chris Hood’s sake but for all our sakes.”

If Hood and the 19 unnamed men are found to have violated the state’s anti-discrimination law, they can face a $10,000 penalty, according to a news release issued by the attorney general’s office on Wednesday.

Emmett Soldati, the coffee shop’s owner, applauded the attorney general’s complaint, saying that it “sends a very strong message” of support to the state’s LGBTQ people.

“Though we have kind of gone on largely focusing on selling bubbletea and lattes and hosting shows since June, that this is still important to the attorney general’s office and to the state of New Hampshire is a demonstration to our community that we belong here,” Soldati said. 

In his previous complaint, Formella accused  Hood and another NSC-131 member of violating civil rights law when they hung a banner along a New Hampshire highway that read, “Keep New England White.” The charges were dismissed in June.

Gens said that since the case was dismissed, Hood has been “keeping kind of quiet” and paying attention to his newborn child. 

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell’s office also filed a complaint against Hood and the neo-Nazi group last week, accusing them of violating the state’s civil rights laws in a series of incidents between July 2022 and October 2023.

Within the last few years, anti-LGBTQ demonstrations and acts of violence against the community have surged. Demonstrations against drag events and performances have been particularly pronounced.

Between June 1, 2022 and May 20, 2023, there were more than 200 anti-drag incidents across the nation, according to a June report by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. The report also found that there were more demonstrations within the first five months of this year than in the last seven months of last year.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Woman charged in St. Augustine stabbing due back in court after ruled competent

Woman Accused in St. Augustine Stabbing Scheduled to Return to Court Following Competency Ruling

Arieana Gibbs, aged 22, had previously been deemed unfit to stand trial…
A Texas family clung to life on their roof, capturing the terrifying flooding in photos and video

Texas Family Documents Harrowing Flood Experience from Their Rooftop in Photos and Video

Jane Towler found herself awake in a small cabin by the Guadalupe…
Motorcycle police officer writing a traffic ticket.

New Law Imposes ‘$5 Per Mile’ Fine for Drivers from August 1, Alongside Increased Parking Ticket Fees

TICKET fees are about to face a major hike for certain drivers…
Supreme Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson triggered by 'state of our democracy'

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Expresses Concern About the ‘State of Our Democracy’

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, known for sparking debate, is facing…

‘Police Chief Father Abused Me for Over a Decade in Disturbing Cult That Traumatized Me as a Child’

THE daughter of a police chief claims her dad raped her for…
Sheriff Cook discusses safety and crime at town hall

Sheriff Cook Talks Crime and Safety Issues at Community Town Hall

During Thursday’s town hall, Sheriff Michelle Cook announced that crime in Clay…
World's oldest domesticated dog breed has cohabited with humans for 1,000 years, new study shows — but their population is plummeting

Ancient Dog Breed, Living Alongside Humans for a Millennium, Faces Rapid Decline, New Research Reveals

It gives new meaning to dog years. For nearly 10,000 years, people…
Bin strike war could cost Labour millions as loyal union threatens to withhold funding after suspending Angela Rayner

Garbage Strike Dispute May Cost Labour Party Millions as Key Union Warns of Potential Funding Withdrawal After Angela Rayner Suspension

MILLIONS of pounds in funding to Labour could be in jeopardy as…
Armed men in black tactical gear aboard a ship.

Houthis Stage a Fearsome Comeback in the Red Sea, Contradicting Trump’s Claim They ‘Don’t Want to Fight’

THE Houthis have mounted a terrifying return to scourge the Red Sea…
Airport security subdues a disruptive passenger.

Dramatic Scene: Woman Throws Temper Tantrum at Airport, Screams at Police Before Being Arrested

THIS is the shocking moment a furious passenger had a full-blown foot-stomping…
Soldier walking past Patriot air defense systems at a military hub.

Russia Claims Trump is ‘Backing Terrorists’ Following US Decision to Send Weapons and Patriots to Ukraine Through NATO

RUSSIA has lashed out at Donald Trump after the US president agreed…
'I couldn't stay silent anymore'

‘I Had to Speak Up’

Actor Derek Dixon from “The Oval” has stepped forward after filing a…