Neo-Nazi Group Targets Danbury After Police Hiring Change

DANBURY, CT — A neo-Nazi group demonstrated outside Danbury Police Headquarters on Saturday in response to the city's recent decision to expand eligibility for police officer applicants.

Northeast Action, a group active across the Northeast, claimed responsibility for the Saturday night demonstration in a post on Telegram, where the group shared photos and video from Danbury.

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The Danbury City Council voted 18-2 in September to allow lawful permanent residents and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, recipients to apply to become city police officers. The change expanded eligibility but did not alter the department's hiring standards.

Photos and video from Saturday night's demonstration show roughly a dozen people dressed largely in black with their faces covered. Demonstrators carried a banner reading "Keep New England White," gave Nazi-style salutes and could be heard shouting "white power."

The demonstration was not limited to the area outside police headquarters. Northeast Action's own posts show members marching along Main Street as part of the demonstration.

The Counter Extremism Project described Northeast Action as a neo-Nazi organization in a report published last week. According to the organization, Northeast Action announced its existence in November 2025 and claims to have members or conduct activity in Connecticut and eight other Northeastern states.

The group has engaged in graffiti, banner drops, boxing training, meetups and small "flash-mob-style demonstrations," according to the Counter Extremism Project. The organization also noted similarities between Northeast Action and Nationalist Social Club 131, or NSC-131, a now-inactive neo-Nazi group that operated in New England.

Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves condemned Saturday's demonstration after video began circulating online Sunday.

"Let me be very clear: there is no place for hate, racism, or white supremacy in Danbury," Alves said.

Alves said Danbury's diversity is one of the city's strengths and that the demonstrators would not define the community.

"We will stand together, we will look out for one another, and we will never allow hate to speak for this city," Alves said. "White supremacy is not welcome here. Racism is not welcome here. Hate is not welcome here."

State Rep. Raghib Allie-Brennan, whose district includes portions of Danbury and Bethel, also condemned the demonstration.

"Let's call it exactly what it is: white supremacy," Allie-Brennan wrote in a social media post.

Allie-Brennan criticized members for hiding behind masks and said public officials need to pay attention to rhetoric that makes people to fear their neighbors.