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Background
NSC-131 New England is a neo-Nazi hate group group founded in 2019. It is an autonomous affiliate of Nationalist Social Club, which has been recognized by Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group. “Nationalist Social Club” is a play on the official name of the original Nazi party in Germany, and “131” stands for “anti-Communist action.”
While the NSC-131 name and symbol have shown up on social media from various parts of the world, as far as we know NSC-131 New England is the only active chapter and they do not report to any national or international organization. Several sources say they have chapters in all five New England states but that is not correct– it is one group with known members in MA, NH, RI, and ME. Their Telegram channels are set up to make it appear they have multiple chapters.
NSC-131 New England was founded by Chris Hood, Zachary Brackett, and other former members of Patriot Front NW7 who were seeking a more militant organization. They initially formed a Boston chapter of The Base. When national leaders of that group ran into legal trouble, the group changed its name to “Nationalist Club of New England” and later NSC-131 New England. For more detail on the early history of the group see By Way of Plymouth‘s dossier.
Communication
The group communicates using the Telegram messenger service which is popular among far-right groups. They have “outreach” channels which are public as well as private channels for vetted members. Their channels are not censored by Telegram but many are censored by Apple and/or Google so they are not readable on phones but only on PCs. For this reason they have set up many similar channels.
The group owns the domain name “nationalistsocialclub.org” but two websites there have been taken down by the hosts. Prospective members contact the group through Telegram and are vetted before being given access to their private communication channels. They also have a page on the Gab social media network and a collection of videos of their actions on odyssey.com. If you need links to these channels for research purposes, contact us.
Symbols
NSC-131, NSC, 131, ACA, simplified Celtic cross, pine tree flag, Sonnenrad, Totenkopf
Actions
Recent Actions
NSC-131’s recent actions have been focused on Drag Queen Story Hours, which have been vilified by a wide range of right-wing groups for supposedly “grooming” kids by exposing them to sexual entertainment. They have protested several of these events, usually holding a banner outside. But most recently, they also stormed inside an event in black masks, terrifying kids and parents.
On 7/25/2022 NSC-131 protested outside a historic building in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood in Boston that was hosting a DQSH. Chris Hood was arrested as were two counter-protestors. The following day at a courthouse in W. Roxbury, charges were dropped against counter-protestors but Chris Hood was charged with “affray.” In response to the community outcry over this action, the Suffolk DA announced they have hired two new civil rights lawyers and US Attorney Rachel Rollins announced she is starting a Nazi hotline.
On 8/7/2022 they protested another DQSH featuring the same performer in the Seaport district in South Boston, causing it to be canceled. Photos posted to their Telegram showed a police presence but no counter-protestors.
On 12/10/2022 they protested outside a DQSH in Fall River, MA, which had previously been targeted by other right-wing groups.
On 1/14/2023 counter-protestors showed up to protect the DQSH in Fall River, but NSC showed up instead at a DQSH in Taunton, MA. In addition to holding a banner outside, they briefly stormed inside. Most members left shortly after but two men in black ski masks remained, terrifying parents and kids and repeatedly interrupting the story. They claimed to have “shut down” the event but in fact the reader and several participants stayed until the end, and at least one of the NSC members was ejected by police.
A few days later the New Hampshire Attorney General announced civil rights charges against Chris Hood and Leo Cullinane in connection with a banner drop in NH.
Past Actions
The group’s early actions consisted mostly of graffiti and stickering. Their more recent actions consist of showing up at a public place, unfurling a banner with an extremely offensive slogan, and handing out propaganda flyers. They do not have a consistent uniform but they usually where khaki pants, black shirts, gaiters or masks that say “131” or feature a skull/jawbone, sunglasses, and baseball caps. Planned actions are kept secret to avoid counter-protests. They also organize group outings that include firearms and fight training.
In fall of 2021 NSC-131’s membership seemed to grow abruptly- they went from actions involving 6-10 people to actions involving 15-20. They also seemed to become more physically aggressive, trapping people inside a bookstore in Providence, and assaulting people who confronted them at various actions.
Examples of past actions:
March, 2022: Attended South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade with a Celtic cross flag ad a banner that read “Keep Boston Irish.”
February, 2022: Protest at a community library in Providence, RI that was hosting a reading of The Communist Manifesto. NSC-131 members carried a Nazi flag, banged on the windows of the library and screamed slurs, trapping the smaller group of attendees inside. There were several news articles about this action including one in the New York Times that seemed to avoid identifying the group as neo-Nazis.
January, 2022: Standout at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, with flyers attacking two doctors by name claiming they advocate preferential treatment for non-whites. Someone who was their for an anti-vax protest asked a member “are you racist?” and he quickly responded “yes.”
January, 2022: Standout at Seacoast Repertory Theater in Portsmouth, NH, which was presenting a kids’ show with a character played by a drag queen. Handed out flyers attacking the performer by name.
Fall, 2021: Firearms training in the White Mountains, NH
August, 2021: Standout at a school committee meeting in Nashua, NH where critical race theory was being discussed. Antifascists found out in advance and organized a counter-protest. NH Proud Boys were also involved and criticized NSC-131 for being too obviously racist.
May, 2021: Standout at the Holocaust Memorial in Boston that included shouting explicitly anti-Semitic rhetoric. In a livestream, Chris Hood bragged that diverse bystanders did not react when he “named the Jew” ten times.
Complete list of past actions by New England Nazi Watch
Beliefs
NSC-131 is an all-male, all-white group and their public Telegram channel features extremely racist, misogynistic, and homophobic/transphobic content as well as anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and extreme stereotypes. They proudly identify with the original Nazis and other historical racists. (In a livestream, founder Chris Hood advised viewers to respond to criticisms of Adolph Hitler by saying “he’s my guy, what are you going to do about it?” and expressed his desire to bring back the KKK in New England.) They are anti-government and anti-police, and at least one member participated in the January 6 insurrection and posted a picture of a helmet apparently taken from a Capitol police officer. They promote the beliefs that Jews control the government and media, the police side with antifa, parts of New England are overrun by Black and Hispanic gangs, and anyone who opposes Nazis is a Communist. (They claim to be both anti-communist and anti-capitalist, a fascist concept known as the “third position.”) They see themselves as the “White Defense Force” preparing to defend white people from these dangers, and believe being very visible with a very extreme message helps them attract new members. They see New England as an ideal hub for racist organizing because it is demographically the whitest part of the US, and see the anti-mandate and anti-BLM movements as recruiting opportunities.
Known Members or Former Members
Chris Hood, b.1999, Newburyport, MA, Leader/Co-Founder
Chris Hood (Christopher R. Hood, Jr.) is the founder/leader of NSC-131 New England. He grew up in Dorchester, MA, and Malden, MA. He graduated in 2017 or 2018 from a special high school. According to antifascist researcher Antifash Gordon, Hood got involved in far-right activism in high school, starting with the Three Percenters militia movement and Proud Boys. After attending the so-called “Free Speech” rally in Boston in 2017, he got involved with Resist Marxism. According to research by By Way of Plymouth, in 2018 he was the first person from Massachusetts to sign up for Patriot Front, and he quickly recruited enough members to form Network VII, the Patriot Front front chapter that includes most of New England. He became the Network Director for NW7 and handled printing and a social media account for the national group. In 2019 he was arrested with two other Patriot Front members while distributing flyers in East Boston. Also in 2019 Hood, Zachary Brackett, and other Network VII members in search of a more militant group joined neo-Nazi group “The Base,” which led to Hood being expelled from Patriot Front. After several national leaders of The Base were arrested, Hood founded NSC-131 New England. In November of 2019 Hood assaulted Patriot Front member Marshall MA in a home in the home of Robert Budzyna in Auburn MA, accompanied by Anthony Petruccelli and another armed NSC member (likely Zack Brackett) as Hood’s girlfriend filmed it. Hood and Petruccelli were subsequently charged with A&B. In a livestream in spring of 2021, Hood encouraged far-right college students to start their own campus groups and suggested they build reputations by going to frat parties and “bullying” white women who “race mix.” (Hood is himself mixed race-– his paternal grandmother was Asian American.) He also expressed his desire to bring back the KKK in New England. In March of 2022, when Hood attended the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade with NSC-131, he was arrested by Boston PD and a person who may have been a FBI/JTTF agent for public drinking, and was released the same day. The record of that arrest from the BPD Journal said he lived in Pepperell, MA. In July of 2022 he was arrested again, along with two counter-protestors, during NSC’s action in Jamaica Plain. Charges were dropped against the counter-protestors but Hood was charged with “affray” . At a court appearance on 9/19/22, he said he intends to represent himself. In January of 2023 Hood and Leo Cullinane were charged with civil rights violations by the NH Attorney General’s Office in connection with a banner drop in NH. According to court documents Hood now lives in Newburyport, MA.
Zachary Brackett, b.1993, Worcester, MA, Co-Founder
Zachary Taylor Brackett lives in Worcester, MA (or did as of July 2021) where he grew up. According to researchers AntiFash Gordon and By Way of Plymouth, he was one of members of Patriot Front who followed Chris Hood from there to The Base and then helped him found NSC-131 New England. Brackett has been arrested at least three times for violent crimes, most recently kidnapping/A&B/violation of a protection order in July of 2021. The blotter from that arrest confirms he lives in Worcester.
Leo Cullinane, b.1989, Manchester, NH
Leo A. Cullinane of Manchester, NH is the NH regional leader / recruiter for NSC-131 New England, according to Garfield but Antifascist. He has been part of NSC-131 since about August of 2021, when he participated in their Nashua, NH action. He has a history of violence and served 5 years in prison. In 2010 he pled guilty to drug charges- he was reported to lie in Londonderry, NH at that time. According to GbA he is the person who appeared in NSC-131’s video of their action on Storrow Drive physically threatening a much smaller person. In January of 2023 Cullinane and Chris Hood were charged with civil rights violations by the NH Attorney General’s Office in connection with a banner drop in NH. Court documents confirm he lives in Manchseter, NH.
Adam Stelmack, age unknown, Bangor, ME
According to Antifa Garfield, Adam Stelmack was part of Chris Pohlhaus’s network of Southern neo-Nazis interested in relocating to Maine. He moved from Orange Park, FL to Bangor, ME and became a member of NSC-131 New England in September, 20221. He served in the Air Force from 2007-2016. He owns a drone videography business called “Sky King Maine” and holds a license from the FCC, according to his website.
Stephen Farrea, b.1990, Portsmouth, RI
Stephen Thompson Ferrea was named in news reports after being charged in connection with NSC propaganda in E. Providence in June, 2022. In 2019, he was named by Antifash Gordon and subsequently by Huffpost as a member of white supremacist group Identity Evropa and a a corporal in the Selected Marine Corps Reserve. The Marines said they were investigating Ferrea- it is not clear how that investigation ended but the Boston Globe article about the E. Providence propaganda implied he is no longer a marine. Property records confirm Farrea and his wife own a home in Portsmouth, RI.
Austin Conti, b.1996, W. Warwick, RI
Austi Conti aka “Steel Pete” or “Pete SS” was named in news reports after being charged in connection with NSC propaganda in E. Providence in June of, 2022. Reports said he is from Yuma, AZ but according to Garfield but Antifascist he recently moved back to W. Warwick, RI, where he grew up. He joined NSC-131 in late 2021, is a former member of the military, and is the main recruiter for NSC-131 in RI. A public excise tax record confirms he lives in W. Warwick.
Tyler Moody, b.1994, Pawtucket, RI
Tyler Moody of Pawtucket, RI has been a member of NSC-131 since about March of 2021, according to Garfield but Antifascist. He got involved in the far-right via the online Boogaloo movement. He was named in a Boston Globe article about propaganda in E. Providence (he was stopped by police but not charged) which noted that he lived with his mom, and a real estate listing for their home included a picture of an “iron guard” flag.
Jason Lowe, b. 1984, Warwick, RI
Named by Boston Globe as one of the men involved in NSC-131 propaganda in E. Providence, not charged. Lowe has been involved in neo-Nazism since before NSC-131 started- he was active on the Iron Front neo-Nazi website and participated in the infamous “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville.
Cody Baker, b.2000, Fall River, MA
Named by Boston Globe as one of the men involved in NSC-131 propaganda in E. Providence, not charged. A post by Green Monster Antifa revealed additional details.
Liam MacNeil, b.2000, Waltham, MA
Liam MacNeil graduated from Waltham High School in 2018 and former classmates say he threatened to bomb an anti-racist protest there in 2017. Liam was a wrestler in high school and may provide physical training for the group. In a livestream in spring of 2021, MacNeil explained that he met Chris Hood at the 2017 “Free Speech” rally in Boston, which he attended in the hope of meeting other “fascist types.” According to antifascist researcher Garfield but Antifascist, Liam and two other members of NSC-131 participated in the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol, and Liam posted a picture of a helmet apparently taken from a Capitol Police officer with the caption “F the police.” When he was unmasked in Spring of 2021, Liam was a student at UMass Lowell. In the livestream Liam confirmed he is a member of NSC-131, and said he intended to stay at UMass Lowell and earn a degree in economics despite believing that he is being taught “bullshit.” Despite a petition and protests by students, UMass Lowell said it could not expel Liam. In spring 2022 a reporter spoke to Liam’s father, Darren MacNeil, who confirmed that Liam dropped out of UMass Lowell because of negative attention, and that Liam lives with him in Waltham. Mr. McNeil, who works at Nova Biomedical in Waltham, defended his son’s neo-Nazi activity, and speculated that his son became political when he brought him to a Trump rally in 2016.
Edward Stuart, b.~2000, Chester, New Hampshire
According to Garfield but Antifascist, Eddie Stuart (who went by “Carl Jung” online) has been a member of NSC-131 since it formed. He is originally from Chester, NH and graduated from Pinkerton Academy in 2018. At the time he was identified in January 2021, he was a student at Arizona State University. He is a follower of “essoteric Hitlerism” which believe that Hitler is a literal god.
Harrison Fournier, age unknown, Alexandria, NH
Harrison Fournier aka Harry Barry of Alexandria, NH has been a member of NSC-131 since at least January of 2021, according to Garfield but Antifascist. He is the group’s firearms experts and has organized firearms training for them in the White Mountains.
Chase Gilroy, b1995, Warwick, RI
Chase Gilroy made the news in May of 2021 when he and another man were caught on video placing Nazi stickers in Warren and Bristol, RI, identified, and charged. He was not identified as a member of NSC-131 until July of 2022 when he drove Chris Hood and other members to Hood’s arraignment in W. Roxbury following the NSC-131 action in Jamaica Plain. He lives in Warwick or did as of May, 2021 according to news reports.
Kevin Cottle, age unknown, Tiverton, RI
Kevin Cottle joined NSC-131 in early 2022 but has been a neo-Nazi for years, according to Green Monster Antifa, and helped organize “security” for the deadly “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville in 2017. According to SPLC in 2017 he was a member of the far-right Traditionalist Workers Party,and he previously served in the National Guard. He is also a member of Oath Keepers, according to a leaked membership list which lists an address in Tiverton, RI. Public property records confirm he owns a home in Tiverton.
Anthony Petruccelli, b1974, current location unknown
Anthony Petruccelli aka “Petro” from Lynn, MA has been involved in white supremacist groups including neo-Nazi group National Socialist Movement for over 30 years, according to Antifash Gordon. He was also involved in Super Happy Fun America and sold t-shirts at “Straight Pride.” He was an early member of NSC-131 and in 2019 he accompanied Chris Hood to assault Patriot Front member Marshall MA in Auburn, MA and was later charge with A&B. He has been arrested many times including 14 for assault & battery, according to journalist Nate Thayer. Petruccelli was recently incarcerated (we don’t have details of this) but was apparently released in summer, 2022 and a Twitter account that appears to be him began responding to tweets about him. It is not known whether he is still active in NSC.
Andrew Hazelton, b.1993, incarcerated
Andrew Hazelton grew up in Westford, MA and is a former student at UMass Lowell. According to Garfield but Antifascist, he joined NSC-131 in spring of 2021. His father, Scott Hazelton, is an elected official in Westford who is apparently aware of his son’s Nazi beliefs. In May of 2021 he was arrested by the FBI on charges of child pornogpraphy. According to news reports, Hazelton’s co-workers in Portland, ME called law enforcement when they became concerned Hazelton would carry out a mass shooting because of comments he had made, which included telling them he participated in the January 6 riot at the US Capitol. According to journalist Nate Thayer, the FBI became involved when a mother reported disturbing texts in which he appeared to be grooming her 10-year-old daughter. In response NSC-131 claimed they had expelled Hazelton and that they were unaware of him being a predator, and promised to improve their vetting. In January of 2022 he was sentenced to five years in federal prison.
Michael Moura, age unknown, incarcerated
MIchael Moura was an early member of Resist Marxism and served as their spokesperson, according to Antifash Gordon, in addition to being a member of NSC-131 and other far-right groups. He is now in prison after buying a gun from an undercover FBI agent and paying for it with cocaine in April of 2021, according to Thayer.
Cameron Anthony, deceased
Cameron Savage Anthony was an NSC-131 member from MA who was involved in white supremacist activism since at least 2013, starting on Stormfront message boards, according to AntiFash Gordon. According to Nate Thayer, he died of a drug overdose in August of 2021.
Jeremiah Shivers, deceased
Jeremiah Shivers of Fairhaven, MA was a member of NSC-131 starting about July of 2021, in addition to being involved with Proud Boys, according to Garfield but Antifascist. He was was spotted doing “security” for Mark Sahady at the far-right rally on the Boston Common in November 2021, at which an organizer was arrested for driving a van through a police barrier. He was also a member of another far-right group called “Veterans on Patrol,” which announced on their social media that he died in July of 2022, according to Garfield but Antifascist.
Affiliates / Possible Members
Chris Pohlhaus aka “Hammer”, b.1998, ME
“Hammer” is a neo-Nazi Telegram personality known for his explicit racism who previously lived in the Texas. In 2021 he interviewed Chris Hood and Liam MacNeil of NSC-131 New England on his livestream, and they discussed encouraging white supremacists to move to northern New England because it is the whitest part of the US and could be turned into a white ethnostate. That plan was also the subject of a VICE article, which said Pohlhaus was a marine from 2005-2009. He moved to Maine sometime in 2021 or 2022, and property records show he bought a house in Springfield, ME in March of 2022. Pohlhaus has participated in at least one NSC-131 action in Lewiston, ME but it is not clear if he is an official member.
Zachary Pickering, b.1999, Cranston, RI
In 2019 Antifash Gordon identified Zachary Pickering as a member of Proud Boys who was doing security for a far-right radio show host. In 2021, he made news when he was caught on video putting up Nazi stickers in RI with Chase Gilroy and subsequently identified and charged. Gilroy has now been identified as a member of NSC-131 so it is possible that Pickering is also a member. According to Green Monster Antifa he protested a DQSH in Fall River, MA in November, 2023. NSC-131 appeared at the same event the following month.
Robert Budzyna, Auburn, MA
Robert T. Budzyna is charged with attempted arson at two homes in Auburn, MA in 2019. According to research by By Way of Plymouth, he was a member of Patriot Front NW7 and may have been a member of the Boston chapter of “The Base” and subsequently NSC-131 in 2019, which would suggest the arsons were hate crimes. He allowed Chris Hood and other members of NSC-131 to use his home in Auburn as the site of ambush against Patriot Front member David Oldenquist (Marshall MA). He may have participated in NSC-131 action as recently as January, 2022.
Ramy Giannakakis, deceased
Iakovos “Ramy” Giannakakis was the prime suspect in a series of arsons against Jewish targets in Arlington, Needham, and Chelsea, MA in 2019. According to the FBI, he committed the arsons as a member of a Boston-area group they were watching at the time because they believed it was planning acts of violence against the Jewish community. The FBI has not said the name of the group but research by By Way of Plymouth suggests it was most likely the Boston chapter of The Base, the precursor to NSC-131. Giannakakis went into a coma after attempting suicide in November, 2019 and died in September, 2020. In February of 2022, Ramy’s brother Alexander Giannakakis was indicted for allegedly fleeing to Europe with evidence pertaining to his brother. This indictment was the first indication to the public that the FBI had been investigating anti-Jewish hate crimes in Boston.
Related Groups
Super Happy Fun America / CORR
CORR North, Super Happy Fun America, Resist Marxism, and Boston Free Speech are all names for approximately the same group of people who were behind the controversial “Free Speech” (2017) and “Straight Pride” (2019) events in Boston and have invited high-profile white nationalist figures to Boston. Two members of this group, Mark Sahady and Sue Ianni, were arrested for their roles in the January 6 insurrection. In 2022 they joined forces with a far-right group from SE MA called “CORR” (Citizens Organized to Restore Rights”) to form a new group called “CORR North” which meets in Peabody, MA. Several members of NSC-131 have connections to this group or its past events.
Patriot Front
Patriot Front is a national neo-fascist organization that is active in New England including the Boston area. Their beliefs are very similar to neo-Nazis except that they express them through US patriotic rhetoric and symbolism. They also have a very structured organization in which members are required to document “incidents of activism,” which NSC does not appear to have. NSC-131 was founded by former Patriot Front members, as detailed in a 2020 Vice article and further research by By Way of Plymouth. Chris Hood was expelled from Patriot Front in 2019 after forming a local chapter of neo-Nazi group “The Base” which would become NSC-131. Shortly after, he assaulted PF member “Marshall MA” (David Oldenquist) at the home of “Peter MA” (Robert Budzyna) accompanied by Anthony Petruccelli and another NSC member (likely Zachary Brackett) as Hood’s girlfriend filmed it. Marshall and “Joe MA” (Tyler Primevara) who brought him to the hospital later reported the incident to police and Hood and Petruccelli were charged with A&B. In retaliation, Hood offered identifying information about PF members to researcher Antifash Gordon, who did not take him up on it. In June of 2022 a channel titled “context” appeared on Telegram which appeared to be written by Hood or someone close to him to address rumors in the white nationalist community that Hood had doxxed PF members. It acknowledged that NSC members had assaulted Oldenquist, but dismissed it as a “fight between men” and argued he and Primavera were in the wrong for reporting it to police. It contained court documents to prove that they had reported it, which led to antifascist researchers identifying Oldenquist, Primavera, and Budzyna. Researchers disagree as to whether the two groups share any members or participate in each other’s actions.