Masked Rally Outside Danbury Police HQ Draws Condemnation

About a dozen masked demonstrators gathered outside Danbury Police Headquarters on Saturday night, displaying a banner that read “Keep New England White” and, according to video and local reporting, chanting white-power slogans and making Nazi salutes. Danbury officials condemned the demonstration. Police said they were investigating, but the available accounts do not report an outcome. The rally took place weeks after the Danbury City Council voted 18-2 on September 2 to allow lawful permanent residents and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, to apply for municipal police jobs. The measure concerns those two groups; it does not make undocumented immigrants eligible, despite a claim in a Telegram post attributed to Northeast Action, a group officials identified as connected to the demonstration. Danbury Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour said the eligibility change aligned city rules with Connecticut standards. He said it did not alter background checks, training, psychological evaluations or certification requirements for police applicants. The group’s exact role in organizing the rally remains unclear.