In conjunction with The Plymouth Police Dept. and other organizations, PNPFH actively responds to incidents of bias and discrimination.  Examples include anti-Semitic graffiti; threatening letters sent to a homeowner who displayed a Black Lives Matter sign on their property.  More recently, Plymouth No Place for Hate issued a very strong public statement at an October Select Board meeting immediately following the National Social Club’s distribution of white supremacist recruitment leaflets in several Plymouth neighborhoods (Statement follows.).

 

PNPFH Statement to the Select Board, 3 October, 2023

Thank you for recognizing me, Chair.

My name is Peter Matlon. I serve as the Vice Chair of the Plymouth No Place for Hate Committee, and I speak to you on their behalf this evening.

Late last week, residents in several Plymouth neighborhoods awoke to find hate-filled leaflets near their homes. The leaflets had been left by the National Social Club, a neo-Nazi white nationalist group. 

The leaflets called for the recruitment of new members, urging them to join them in taking “action” against non-white populations whom they called “enemies of the people”. 

Not surprisingly, the leaflets have raised concern, anxiety and fear. 

We have learned that the National Social Club is well known by Federal authorities and by organizations that track domestic terrorism. They are a rapidly growing neo-Nazi group active across several New England states. 

And they have been particularly active in Massachusetts where over the last two years they have been behind a wave of racist, antisemitic, anti-immigrant and anti-LGBTQ demonstrations, vandalism and physical assaults. 

Their goal is to intimidate and create fear among groups they hate. And their work often begins by distributing the kinds of recruitment propaganda that we have just seen here in Plymouth. 

Because of this, we believe it’s critical that Plymouth face this threat directly and effectively, so that the ideology and work of this hate group does not take root in our community.

The Plymouth No Place for Hate Committee condemns the group’s ideology and its activities in the strongest possible terms. It is morally appalling and potentially dangerous. Neo-Nazis are simply not welcome in America’s Home Town. 

In the face of this threat, we renew our commitment to help protect the promise of equal justice and civil rights for all Plymouth community members. To this end, we will work with all elements of the Plymouth Town Government to ensure that all Plymouth residents feel safe and welcome. 

We understand that the Police Department is actively investigating the matter and has engaged with Federal law enforcement agencies. This is greatly appreciated. 

We expect that the Police Department will continue to follow the situation closely, and that it will take all necessary measures to protect groups that might be targeted. 

This includes Jewish, Indigenous, Black, Latino, immigrant, LGBTQ and other potentially at-risk communities. 

Going forward, we urge that all Plymouth residents assist the Police by reporting any suspicious or threatening activities. 

Finally, Chair, we would like to respectfully ask that the Select Board itself condemns this neo-Nazi hate group and its efforts to gain a foothold in Plymouth….and that the Select Board continues to oversee an effective response.

Thank you very much, Chair.