Good evening everyone.
Thanks for joining us.
I'm Sam Rogers.
Today, more than a dozen
members of No Neo Nazi group,
the National Socialist Club or
NSC 131 paraded through downtown
Portland and things got intense.
A policeman drew his weapon as counter
protesters and members of the hate
group fought outside of City Hall.
We had crews on scene and
we do have to warn you,
some of this footage could
be disturbing to viewers.
Police work to contain the
fight between the two groups,
and throughout Saturday afternoon,
the hate group held a sign
saying defend white communities.
They walk to different downtown landmarks,
yelling their group's name and
saying whose town? Our town.
We talked to a man who saw
the group walk to City Hall.
He recently moved to Maine,
thinking this sort of thing
doesn't normally happen here.
Personally, I mean,
I didn't think like it
happened up here in Maine.
I mean, I'm from Louisiana.
We do this all the time.
But Maine is like,
you don't hear about like,
this and Maine,
and then you just see it happening.
Police say that while there were
multiple skirmishes and confrontations
between the group and the public,
there were no charges filed from either side.
They add no one was injured
during the incident.
We don't know if these men are from Maine,
but the Southern Law Poverty Center does
say they have a chapter here in our state.
Now, according to the center,
there are four major hate
groups currently in Maine,
the proud boys and the Patriot Front,
which are statewide,
the Colchester Collection,
a white nationalist group based in Machias,
and the Nationalist Social Club
131 who made that appearance today.
According to the Anti Defamation League,
they often participate in flash
demonstrations like the 1:00 this afternoon.
The group is a New England based network
and believe they are soldiers at war,
viewing themselves as protectors
of white people.
In December,
our Jack moment spoke with community
leaders and a Vice News reporter
about how white supremacy has spread
in our state and why a man moved
here specifically for that reason.
You know why I would
hide behind the mask?
Because I knew what I was doing. A shame for
this was the scene at Kennedy
Park in Lewiston this October,
where National Social Club 131
marched and held signs targeting
Somalian people who live there,
leaving an impression and
questions in the community.
It's very concerning to see
this display of hatred.
But this wasn't the first time
this group has turned out.
They protested a drag show
last year in Portsmouth.
And according to VICE News
Extremism reporter Ben Mckoo,
they're trying to intimidate people
who stand for a fair and just and equal
society where everyone is welcome.
And I think that that's something
that they want to prevent,
that's intimidating the L,
GB, TQ community,
the the people of color of Maine and
and of New England and as far as I know.
The group it's,
it's an underground network that's active.
Miku traveled to Maine this year
after finding out NEO Nazi and
national extremist influencer
Christopher Polehouse had moved
there with his mission to turn
Maine into a white ethno state. So
they thought, oh, this would be
the perfect location to, you know,
prepare for anything that could
potentially happen in terms of
the end of the Republic or also
just a place that they could.
Be among only white people
here. Vice News speaks with Pole House,
who is a Marine Corps veteran. It's not about
knowing people, understanding them,
having empathy for them.
It's literally power.
Where does the Aryan get to cash out?
We spilled a lot of it, dude.
For 100 years, man. A whole lot, dude.
Whole House is living in Maine,
as Vice News identified him,
attending that March in Lewiston by N SC131,
showing that a national influencer in
the Nazi extremism space is working
with a local NEO Nazi group in Maine.
Even that many men showing up and doing that.
It's my experience on this beat
that that's never good, you know?
And I think that people in.
Maine and New England should,
should, should take notice.
And I think that they,
I I would hope that there
would be some resistance,
and I think there has been.
We came from war-torn background.
We have a second chance in life.
That's what's important to us. It
does not deter those leaders in the
refugee space like Fatuma Hussein,
she said. In the weeks following
the showing of NSC 131,
the FBI showed up at her local mosque,
telling members that they were safe.
They don't know who we are.
And they can't instill fear in us,
adding that although Maine is one
of the widest states pole houses,
dreams of creating a white ethno
state are far off the mark.
We're not going anywhere,
so better get used to that.
Our Jack moment with that report.