NH AG files second complaint against white nationalist group

Members of NSC-131, a neo-Nazi group in New England, protest story hour outside Teatotaller cafe in downtown Concord.

Members of NSC-131, a neo-Nazi group in New England, protest story hour outside Teatotaller cafe in downtown Concord. Jacqueline Cole / Monitor file

By MICHAELA TOWFIGHI

Monitor staff

Published: 12-13-2023 2:34 PM

Modified: 12-15-2023 2:23 PM


On Father’s Day last June, a drag story hour at Teatotaller Cafe drew families and children inside. It also attracted nearly two dozen members of NSC-131 to stand outside in protest, chanting and performing Nazi salutes through the cafe’s first-floor windows.

Six months later, the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office filed a charge of discrimination against Christopher Hood and 19 unidentified members of the New England-based neo-Nazi group, named as John Does.

The charges accuse Hood and fellow NSC-131 members of attempting to coerce Teatotaller into engaging in unlawful discrimination, by canceling their performance or closing the venue based on the gender identity or sexual orientation of Drag Queen Juicy Garland.

Their behavior, including chanting homophobic slurs and banging on the glass windows, is a notable distinction compared to other protests, according to Sean Locke, the Assistant Attorney General Director in the Civil Rights Unit.

It would have been one thing if the masked men stood in silence on the sidewalk with signs. Instead, their antagonistic behavior intended to thwart the event.

“They’re shouting into a cafe, chanting into the cafe, banging on the glass of the cafe and essentially invading the space attempting to disrupt and prevent what is happening,” he said. “That is, for our purposes, an important distinction.”

Emmett Soldati said NSC-131’s goal was clearly to intimidate Teatotaller to stop their programming, which includes drag story hours and other performances.

But as the owner of the cafe, which has locations in Concord Somersworth and soon-to-be in Dover, he has had no intentions of changing course.

“We have worked to increase the work that we are doing to provide enriching programs for the Concord community, to be a space that is safe and welcoming and inclusive for all, and really not be deterred by these gestures,” he said.

The nature of Teatotaller’s event is what makes his business successful, he said.

“We hear so many stories of the way our cafe caters to people or introduces them to new programs or their neighbors is really life-affirming and life-changing for a lot of people,” he said. “It’s good work. It’s powerful work.”

Due to the nature of the accusations, the complaint is filed with the New Hampshire Commission for Human Rights. From there, it can proceed to Superior Court, which Locke expects to happen within the next 20 to 30 days.

Once the complaint goes to trial, identifying the 19 unnamed John Does will be a part of the process of gathering information as the case progresses. The Attorney General’s Office can amend the complaint as more names are identified, Locke said.

In the aftermath of the incident, the Attorney General’s Office worked with Concord police to conduct an initial investigation. With that, they interviewed witnesses and gathered evidence to assess the case.

Soldati noticed two initial reactions: one where people said this type of aggression felt new and unusual for the area, versus another camp that had seen the behavior of NSC-131 and felt more people needed to be aware of their presence and activity.

Despite the initial shock, the cafe has experienced support from the community, which has only strengthened Soldati’s resolve, he said.

“It is very clear to me that the subtext of this investigation is that everything that we have been doing is welcome in this state, and is good and is helpful and is appropriate,” he said. “I think that is a powerful signal to the community to say, ‘here’s really where we need to rally and come together on,’ and this was another signal of that.”