National Socialist Club (NSC-131)

Overview

National Socialist Club-131, or NSC-131, is a white supremacist neo-Nazi organization founded in 2019 by Christ Hood with small regional cells around the United States. The “131” of the group’s namesake is alphanumeric code for “ACA,” or “Anti-Communist Action.” Primarily based in the Northeastern United States, NSC-131 often stages anti-immigrant and anti-LGTBQ+ protests to gain public attention. NSC-131 is one of the most active white power groups in the region, and its members have been active in other organizations such as The Base and Patriot Front.

Ideology

NSC-131’s ideology focuses on their role in a war against a Jewish-controlled system that is complicit in the erasure of the white race, an explicit nod to the white genocide conspiracy theory championed by neo-Nazi terrorist David Lane in the 1990s. The group frequently peddles antisemitic conspiracy theories, such as claiming Israel was involved in the 9/11 attacks and denying the Holocaust. Viewed as collaborators in white genocide, immigrants and the LGBTQ+ community are often the targets of NSC-131 flash demonstrations, graffiti, and flyers.

Notable Members

Chris Hood

NSC-131 founder Chris Hood’s involvement in the white power community dates back to 2017, with stints in the Proud Boys, Patriot Front, and The Base. After leaving the Proud Boys, Hood’s activism with Patriot Front propelled him to the position of northeast regional director. However, Hood was disappointed with Patriot Front’s lack of violence, prompting him to create his own group–the New England Nationalists Club (NENC)–the predecessor to NSC-131, in 2019.

After facing some difficulties with marketing the NENC, Hood changed the group’s name to NSC-131 in 2020 and established chapters across the United States and even in Germany. After law enforcement intervention dismantled the cell in Germany, Hood focused the NSC-131’s efforts on the New England region and launched its splinter organization, the People’s Initiative of New England (PINE), in 2020.

Notable Events and Activities

NSC-131’s activities are primarily focused on harassing the LGBTQ+ community and those they perceive as “Antifa” or “far-left.” Members often target LGBTQ+ events, bookstores, and cafés, and have even protested outside the home of politicians, including Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy.

In 2021, Richard Zachary Ackerman, a member of NSC-131, participated in the January 6 Capitol attack, subsequently pleading guilty to civil disorder and theft of government property. Ackerman was sentenced to 24 months of supervised release with 10 months of home detention and a payment of $2,000 in restitution.

Later, in July and August 2022, NSC-131 began a targeted harassment campaign against the LGBTQ+ community, primarily protesting drag queen story hours in the Jamaica Plain and Seaport neighborhoods of Boston, Massachusetts, respectively. That fall, in October 2022, members of NSC-131 marched with Blood Tribe founder Christopher Pohlhaus through Lewiston, Maine, in an attempt to intimidate the town’s Somali community.

In June 2023, a group of NSC-131 members targeted the Teatotaller Café in Concord, New Hampshire, for their scheduled drag queen story hour, forcing the venue to eventually cancel the event. As a result, that December, the New Hampshire District Attorney filed a civil lawsuit against Chris Hood and 19 members of NSC-131 for their actions. The case is ongoing.

Symbology and Iconography

NSC-131 Logo

The group’s name, NSC-131, is an abbreviation for "National Socialist Club-131," referencing their adherence to National Socialism (Naziism), while "131" is alphanumeric code for "A-C-A," or "Anti-Communist/Anti-Capitalist Action." The group's logo also bears a striking resemblance to the Sturmabteilung (SA), the original paramilitary wing of the Nazi party in Germany.