Nazis stormed into drag queen story hours in Fall River and Taunton. They're being sued.
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell has filed a lawsuit against neo-Nazi group NSC-131 and two of its leaders for disrupting drag queen story hours in Fall River and Taunton.
The civil suit, which was filed in Suffolk County Superior Court on Dec. 7, names Christopher Hood of Newburyport and Liam McNeil of Waltham as two principal members of the white nationalist terrorism group.
It also names as defendants the group itself, “an unincorporated association with approximately 30 active members.” It says the group has organized violent protests aimed at intimidating, harassing and assaulting non-whites and gay, lesbian and transgender people.
The suit cites four specific instances in which Hood, McNeil and other group members “repeatedly engaged in violent, threatening, intimidating and coercive conduct” that interfered with people’s civil rights and access to public spaces including libraries, and “damaged, defaced and unlawfully intruded upon property throughout Massachusetts.”
The suit accuses the defendants of public nuisance, trespassing, civil conspiracy, and violations of the Civil Rights Act and Public Accommodations Law. It seeks “injunctive relief, damages, civil penalties, costs and fees.”
Nazis in Fall River: Racist, homophobic group disrupts a drag event at library. Organizers said they won't be discouraged.
When Nazis disrupted story time in Fall River
On Dec. 10, 2022, the Fall River Pride Committee hosted a drag story time at the Fall River Public Library on North Main Street, which featured a performer in drag reading children’s books.
According to the lawsuit, about 20 members of NSC-131 wearing black masks attempted to “disrupt and shut down” the event.
The group held signs and shouted offensive intimidating slogans, many raising their right arms in Nazi salutes.
Two members of the Pride Committee were assaulted, according to the lawsuit, including one who was hit by a door and shoved against a wall, and another who was thrown to the ground and stomped by NSC-131 members.
Fall River police officers arrived on the scene; no one was arrested.
“NSC’s conduct in Fall River reasonably caused people to become frightened and apprehensive, to fear for their physical safety, and to feel constrained in their ability to peacefully access the Public Library and attend Story Hour events,” the lawsuit reads.
At the time, Mayor Paul Coogan stated, “While we do have to respect everyone’s right to protest and use free speech, I feel sick knowing that these individuals — who are not members of our community — came here only to cause chaos and disruption.”
Nazis in Taunton: Drag queen event at public library disrupted by apparent neo-Nazi protesters
Nazis storm Taunton library, threaten parents and reader
On Jan. 14, 2023, about 30 members of NSC-131 disrupted a drag story hour at the Taunton Public Library organized by the Southcoast LGBTQ+ Network, “scaring families and small children and causing officers from the Taunton Police Department to evacuate the performer through a side entrance,” the lawsuit states.
A group of five neo-Nazis entered the building, their faces obscured with ski masks and sunglasses and carrying backpacks, and stormed into a room with families and small children without warning.
“Because of the NSC members’ appearance and the manner in which they entered the room, the Story Hour performer and others reasonably feared that the NSC members were going to carry out a violent attack,” the lawsuit reads.
The neo-Nazis harassed parents and the performer, shouting profanities and offensive language, and attempting to instigate physical fights, the lawsuit reads.
Neo-Nazi Lawsuit in Massachusetts by The Herald News on Scribd
Lawsuit accuses Nazi group of harassing immigrants at hotels
The lawsuit further accuses the group of organized disruption of LGBTQ+ events in Boston, and of engaging in illegal harassment campaigns of non-white, non-European immigrants being given emergency shelter at hotels in Kingston, Woburn and Marlboro.
The group has also allegedly tagged communities across the state with graffiti, and dropped bags filled with leaflets weighed with rocks in cities including New Bedford.
It is unclear if Hood, McNeil and the neo-Nazi group have legal representation; attorneys for those parties have not yet filed responses to the suit.
Dan Medeiros can be reached at dmedeiros@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News today.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Neo-Nazi group sued after storming drag queen story time at libraries
