It seems like ages ago but on Aug. 2, members of the neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe appeared on the steps of the State House in Concord. They came masked and militant, in sharp contrast to NH 50501’s permitted, nonviolent protest happening that very day — a gathering rooted in peaceful civic engagement.
Governor Kelly Ayotte responded with a brief social media post but there was no official statement on the state’s website and no call for Granite Staters to unite in defense of our shared values, which is extremely disappointing. Official silence from our highest elected office sends a dangerous signal — this type of hate can pass without a full, public, and ongoing rejection from the officials entrusted to safeguard this state.
What we saw in Concord is part of a larger pattern. Across the country, the federal government’s recent actions are emboldening extremist groups by eroding accountability, weakening democratic norms like due process and normalizing authoritarian tactics:
- Pardoning all January 6 insurrectionists — utterly erasing accountability for the assault on the U.S. Capitol and transforming it into a celebration of those who tried to overturn the results of a lawful election.
- Targeting immigrants through profiling and street arrests by masked government agents — detaining people based on appearance, often without charges, and sending them to far away detention centers or, worse, deporting them to notorious prisons in El Salvador and South Sudan where abuse is rampant.
- De-prioritizing right-wing extremism at the federal level — the FBI has reassigned thousands of agents and scaled back their investigations of right-wing extremists allowing them to organize more freely.
These are not abstract policy shifts. Extremist groups see this as a green light, proof that violence, intimidation and the dismantling of democratic institutions can proceed without consequence. These actions have harmed not only the oppressed, but also white able-bodied citizens.
Christian nationalism and its parent ideology, white supremacy, are theological distortions and political perversions. They are incompatible with the teachings of Jesus Christ, whose teachings centered love of neighbor, protection of the vulnerable, and truth-telling in the face of injustice.
Followers of white supremacy stand in direct opposition to the U.S. and New Hampshire Constitutions which enshrine equal protection under the law and due process for all people. Do not be fooled — their goals not only fracture communities, they poison the social trust that allows our economy to flourish.
True Granite State values — fairness, civic responsibility and neighborliness — demand that we reject these ideologies outright, both in word and in policy.
We call on Governor Ayotte to issue a formal, on-record statement posted to the state’s official channels, unequivocally condemning white supremacy and Christian nationalism. This must be more than moral disapproval; it should be a call to action for all Granite Staters to stand together in defense of our democratic institutions and the equal dignity of every person.
We call on civic, faith and community leaders to join us in speaking publicly, consistently and without compromise against hate. We encourage every Granite Stater to play their part in building communities where belonging is the norm, where everyone is safe and where democracy is more than a word — it’s a lived reality.
The Countering Christian Nationalism Coalition exists to build the will and power to stop hate with an organized, strategic, unified plan of resistance. Silence is complicity, but worse, inaction is tacit approval. In New Hampshire, we have the responsibility to lead with moral courage and constitutional fidelity.
Lisa Beaudoin is the executive director of the NH Council of Churches and wrote this My Turn on behalf of the Countering Christian Nationalism Coalition in Concord.