Fliers from an active neo-Nazi group were scattered across several neighborhoods in Westfield Monday morning, Oct. 16, according to The Boston Globe.
The fliers from the Nationals Social Club, or NSC-131, were found tucked into plastic sandwich bags weighed down with small gray rocks and left in people’s driveways, Westfield police Captain Steve Dickinson told the outlet.
It was unclear how many fliers were distributed. The Westfield Police Department said in a Facebook post that they know about the fliers and are asking the public to send them any information.
“We are aware that flyers for a white supremacist organization were left in neighborhoods in the Western Ave area. This organization has conducted similar activities all over New England,” the department wrote. “The fliers are in a small plastic bag weighted with small stones and were likely thrown from a vehicle. Anyone with a description or video of the vehicle involved is asked to contact the Detective Bureau at (413)-572-6400.”
One resident posted a photo of the flier in the comments’ section of Westfield police’s post. It reads, “New Englanders! You are being replaced. Organize and resist,” followed by a link to the organization’s gab profile and email.
Westfield police emailed the organization saying they had unlawfully distributed the fliers and could pay fines of up to $300 per offense, the Globe reported. Dickinson said that department had not heard back from NSC-131 as of late Monday afternoon.
“We probably won’t,” Dickinson told the outlet. “If we get any information or leads, we’ll certainly investigate that.”
NSC-131 distributed similar fliers in Plymouth in late September and in New Bedford on Oct. 11, the Globe reported. The group most recently protested outside of Gov. Maura Healy’s Arlington home, according to a separate article from the Globe.
Along with the white supremacist organization Patriot Front, NSC-131 is one of the most active extremist groups in New England, according to the Anti-Defamation League. The “NSC” is short for National Socialist Club, while “131″ is alphanumeric code for the letters A-C-A, standing for “Anti-Communist Action.”
The group’s activity is often tied to the influx of migrants seeking shelter in Massachusetts, where a “right-to-shelter” law requires the state to house families with children and pregnant women who are homeless.
The group protested outside three Woburn hotels in August, delivering anti-immigration messages after city officials said that roughly 60 migrant families were living in hotels in the city.
The group has also protested outside events featuring drag queens and at the New England Holocaust Memorial in Boston. Earlier this year, two NSC-131 members were charged with civil rights violations in New Hampshire after the group hung a “Keep New England White” banner from a highway overpass.
