GREENWICH, CT -- Greenwich Democratic Town Committee (GDTC) Chair Christina Downey released the following statement in response to the masked Nazi group in town and local leadership’s failure to condemn them:

“We abhor the fact that fellow citizens would cover their faces and attempt to stoke fear and hatred in the streets of Greenwich as a white supremacist group did this past weekend. It doesn’t matter whether the group claimed to be responding to a particular incident; the sign they wielded, and the Heil Hitler gesture they made as they chanted was chillingly reminiscent of Nazi Germany circa 1939, and poses a threat to our safety and well-being.

“Hate crimes are way up nationally. Antisemitism is at an all-time high. Greenwich is not immune. We have had several antisemitic incidences in our schools alone in recent weeks. We shouldn’t be surprised when hate shows up in our backyard, we must be ready to address it head-on. We cannot water down our response by espousing First Amendment rights above all else as some local leaders have done, we must condemn with conviction when Nazis march in our streets. Yes, the group was within their Constitutional rights to gather, but it is our moral responsibility to call out the harm their presence poses when we see and hear it.

“A threat to one is a threat to all. We will not stand idly by as hate expresses itself in our town. We call on local leadership to step up and join us in saying that hate has no place in this town.”

The Greenwich Democratic Town Committee (GDTC) is the official organization in the Town of Greenwich, CT representing the Democratic Party. Learn more about the GDTC’s work to recruit and develop the Democratic leaders of tomorrow by visiting www.greenwichdemocrats.org.

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