Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves has publicly condemned a white supremacist rally that unfolded outside the city’s police headquarters over the weekend.
The demonstration, staged by roughly a dozen masked individuals on Saturday night, targeted a new city policy permitting certain noncitizens to serve on the police force. The group, which identified itself as Northeast Action through a banner visible in footage, chanted “white power” and threw Nazi salutes while holding signs including one reading “Keep New England White,” according to video shared on Reddit. Little to no information about a group by that name exists online.
Alves confirmed the video’s authenticity and shared a screenshot of what appeared to be the group’s Telegram channel, where members railed against Danbury as a city “where nearly half of the population is Hispanic, many of them illegal.” The channel also referenced the City Council’s vote last Tuesday allowing permanent legal residents and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival recipients, commonly known as Dreamers, to be hired as Danbury police officers.
The Danbury Police Department had no advance warning of the demonstration and learned of it only after the protesters had dispersed, spokesperson Erin Henry said. No officers interacted with the group during the rally.
Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour issued a statement on Monday clarifying that the demonstrators were not members of his department.
“We do not support or condone the actions of this group or of any individuals, groups, or organizations that promote hate or exclusion in this or any community,” Ridenhour said.
He added that the department “is here to protect and serve everyone within our jurisdiction.”
The policy change that triggered the protest was approved by the Danbury City Council last Tuesday. It expands eligibility for police positions to include permanent legal residents and DACA recipients, a move that has drawn both support and intense backlash.
Alves took to Facebook to push back against the hate on display, writing that “there is no place for hate, racism or white supremacy in” their community.
“This city is home to people who came here from across the country and around the world […] That diversity is not something that divides us. It is part of who we are, and it is one of Danbury’s greatest strengths,” the mayor said.
The footage capturing the rally was shot from a moving car, whose passengers could be heard screaming at the protesters as the masked crew performed their call-and-response chant. The demonstrators’ faces were covered throughout the display.
The incident has drawn condemnation from multiple local officials, though the full scope of political response continues to develop.