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Int'l Business Times
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Int'l Business Times
Boston Mayor Compares ICE to Neo-Nazi Group: 'There Are Other Groups That Routinely Wear Masks'
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu compared immigration agents to members of NSC 131, a New England-based neo-Nazi group. "I don't know of any police department that routinely wears masks," Wu said Wednesday. "We know that there are other groups that routinely wear masks, NSC 131 routinely wears masks," she added, referencing Nationalist Social Club-131, a neo-Nazi organization founded in Massachusetts in 2019. Wu, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and his administration, made her comments in response to criticism from Leah Foley, the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. Foley, a Trump appointee confirmed in January, accused the Boston mayor of spreading "false narratives" about federal agents. The dispute stemmed from Wu's remarks, made last week, about Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, which she said had "terrified" her constituents. Wu previously told WBUR people were being "snatched off the street by secret police who are wearing masks, who can offer no justification for why certain people are being taken and then detained." Foley labeled Wu's comments "reckless and inflammatory," and defended ICE agents' masks, asserting they and their families were being "threatened, doxxed, and assaulted" in social media posts. When asked to respond to Foley's comments, Wu pointed out that Boston police work "without wearing masks, displaying their badges publicly, with body cameras that document the interactions that take place with full transparency, because we have nothing to hide," according to the Boston Globe, before comparing ICE agents to the neo-Nazi group members. "We see what's happening with our own eyes. A land ruled by fear is not the land of the free," Wu wrote in a Bluesky post Thursday, accompanied by the Boston Globe article referencing Foley's comments. Federal officials held a press conference earlier this week to tout their monthlong operation that resulted in the arrests of nearly 1,500 undocumented Americans, according to marking one of the largest ICE operations ever. Originally published on Latin Times
Fast Company
14 hours ago
- Business
- Fast Company
What Market Basket's labor tension reveals about Gen Z
'Honestly, I don't even remember the 2014 situation. It just seems like it's asking a lot of the employees. Why's it on us?' — Gen Z Market Basket employee, June 2025 Ten years ago, Market Basket—a New England-based grocery chain—became a national symbol of grassroots worker solidarity. Thousands of nonunion employees staged a dramatic walkout to protest the ousting of their CEO, Arthur T. Demoulas. Customers followed suit, boycotting stores. Shelves emptied. The message was clear: people, not just profits, mattered. And it worked. Demoulas was reinstated, and Market Basket's culture of loyalty was hailed as a case study in bottom-up leadership. Now, in 2025, Demoulas has been placed on administrative leave, and tensions are beginning to stir again. But something feels different. The energy is quieter. The loyalty less certain. And for good reason: the workforce has changed. A different kind of commitment Most of Market Basket's current front-line employees are millennials or Gen Z. Many of them weren't even in high school in 2014. And unlike the prior generation, they didn't come up in a workplace culture that promised stability, pensions, or upward mobility. They came of age during mass layoffs, the pandemic, and a decade of seeing 'essential' workers celebrated rhetorically—but often left unsupported. When I spoke with a Gen Z employee this week, their perspective was both honest and revealing. 'There's no way I really care about the long-term health of the company. I'm not going to work here for life. However, I do care about the people I work with—and the affordable prices. I'm torn.' The comment wasn't true apathy, but a different kind of commitment. Fairness, clarity, and a voice As a leadership researcher and business school lecturer who focuses on generational dynamics, I've seen this mindset across industries. Gen Z doesn't reject work ethic—but they do reject blind loyalty. They want to contribute, but they also want fairness, clarity, and a sense that their voice matters. They're less likely to organize around a charismatic executive and more likely to organize around shared values or people in their immediate circle. When I asked this employee what empathy looks like to them at a moment like this, their answer wasn't about the company—it was about the customer. 'We have a lot of people who are elderly and can't afford to go anywhere else. That actually makes it harder, because we can stay open for them—or walk out and hope that we can keep MB the way it is long term.' That response reflects a major evolution in how younger workers see the workplace. It's not about 'company man' culture—it's about what's humane, what's sustainable, and who's affected. Why this matters to leaders In 2014, Market Basket's walkout became iconic because it was so rare: a coordinated labor action without a union, driven by a deep emotional connection to leadership. It represented a kind of institutional loyalty that's becoming less common—not just at grocery stores, but across industries. Today, we're seeing a different dynamic. Gen Z workers are still willing to take a stand—but it's not always the kind of stand companies expect. Some may walk out. Others may opt for 'quiet quitting,' high turnover, or organizing through digital platforms instead of picket lines. Their actions are no less meaningful, but they're often less visible—and that can leave organizations flat-footed if they're not paying attention. In my research and classroom discussions, I see Gen Z define loyalty not as longevity, but as values alignment. They will go to bat for coworkers. They'll support customers and communities. But they expect the same in return from leadership. And if they don't get it, they won't stick around—especially not to fix systems they didn't break. That creates a new challenge for employers: building workplace cultures that don't rely on legacy loyalty, but earn trust in real time. The risk of expecting too much The 2014 Market Basket strike succeeded because workers and customers felt united. But this time around, younger workers are more skeptical—not just of leadership, but of the idea that change depends solely on their willingness to sacrifice. 'Why's it on us?' the employee asked. That's the generational rift in a single sentence. Many younger employees have watched companies brand themselves as family until times get tough. They've seen layoffs announced over email, burnout go unacknowledged, and corporate promises ring hollow. So, when they're asked to 'do the right thing' for an employer, they ask—reasonably—what the company is doing for them. And yet, they still care. They care about fairness. They care about their team. They care about the elderly shopper who relies on affordable produce. That tension is exactly where Gen Z sits: morally aware, emotionally intelligent, and structurally exhausted. What comes next If a walkout happens again at Market Basket, it won't look like 2014. It might not even be a walkout. It might be subtler: shifts in morale, early exits, a lack of buy-in. But it will still matter. Because the real story here isn't about one grocery chain—it's about a generational shift in how workers define loyalty and leadership. And as companies across industries wrestle with engagement, retention, and trust, this moment is a reminder: culture isn't inherited. It's built—and rebuilt—by every generation that shows up to work. Gen Z may not be in it for life. But they are in it for something. And if leaders want to keep them around, they need to stop asking for blind loyalty—and start delivering earned respect.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
White House says Mayor Wu calling ICE ‘secret police' is ‘disgusting' and ‘dangerous'
The White House directly responded to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu's characterization of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as 'secret police' Thursday afternoon, denouncing her comments as a 'disgusting, dangerous' attack on law enforcement. 'President Trump is keeping his promise to the American people to deport illegal aliens. It's disturbing that Democrats like Mayor Wu would side with illegal immigrants over Americans and stoke hatred against American law enforcement," White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a press release. Wu's office did not respond to a request for comment Thursday evening. The White House condemned Wu's doubling down on negative comments about ICE that she first made last weekend at the WBUR Festival. 'Every aspect of what's happening at the federal level is causing harm in our local communities,' the mayor said during an interview at the festival. 'People are terrified for their lives and for their neighbors, folks getting snatched off the street by secret police who are wearing masks, who can offer no justification for why certain people are being taken and then detained.' Read more: Mayor Wu defends calling ICE 'secret police' after Mass. US attorney's criticism The White House took particular issue with a reference Wu made while defending her comments to reporters on Wednesday. When talking about ICE agents' choice to wear masks while making arrests, she brought up the fact that New England-based neo-Nazi group NSC-131 also wears masks in public. 'I don't know of any police department that routinely wears masks,' she said, according to The Boston Globe. 'We know that there are other groups that routinely wear masks. NSC-131, routinely wears masks.' Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons — who was the head of ICE's Boston field office until his promotion earlier this year — said Monday that federal immigration agents wear masks because people have been taking pictures of them and posting them online along with death threats. The White House described Wu's comments as 'fanning the flames of hate while ICE agents face unprecedented threats to themselves and their families,' citing a claim ICE made in May that its officers are 'facing a 413% increase in assaults.' The White House also criticized Wu for 'denigrating' ICE officers in the wake of 'Operation Patriot,' a monthlong enforcement operation the agency carried out across Massachusetts during the month of May. Agents arrested nearly 1,500 people during that time, ICE announced Monday. The White House called attention to 10 suspects ICE arrested as part of the operation, all of whom are Central and South American men who were previously convicted of or charged with serious crimes in Massachusetts or their home countries, according to ICE. The crimes listed include murder, rape, child rape and kidnapping, among others, and two of the men had Interpol Red Notices out against them when ICE arrested them. Read more: ICE detained nearly 1,500 people in Mass. in one month Notably, though, some arrests made during Operation Patriot resulted in outrage and fear in Massachusetts communities. Though Acting ICE Director Lyons said the operation was focused on 'transnational organized crime, gangs and egregious illegal alien offenders,' agents also detained foreign nationals whose only crime was being in the country illegally. On May 12, the agency's arrest of a Brazilian mother on the streets of Worcester led to a heated confrontation between protesters and law enforcement and charges against three women — including a city councilor. Additionally, the Milford community was rocked by ICE officers' decision to arrest and detain an 18-year-old high school student last weekend. He was released on bail on Thursday. The White House is far from the first federal entity or official to condemn Wu's comments. In a social media video posted Wednesday morning, Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley decried the mayor's statements as a 'false narrative,' pushing back against the idea that people are being 'snatched off the street.' 'There are no secret police. ICE agents, along with other federal law enforcement partners, are making immigration arrests. That is no secret. They are arresting individuals who are here illegally, which is a violation of federal law,' the U.S. Attorney said. 'Every enforcement action is conducted within the bounds of the Constitution and our laws with oversight, legal justification and accountability. To claim otherwise is a gross misrepresentation and a disservice to the public.' Read more: 'False narratives': Mass. US attorney blasts Boston Mayor Wu over remarks on ICE The mayor defended her characterization of ICE Wednesday afternoon when asked about Foley's criticism at an unrelated event at Boston City Hall. ICE hasn't been 'sharing exactly who was arrested and why,' she said. 'The U.S. attorney is attacking me for saying what Bostonians see with their own eyes,' she said. But on Thursday morning, Lyons posted his own video criticizing the mayor's and other politicians' anti-ICE comments, demanding that they 'stop putting [his] people in danger' with 'made-up talking points that get activists riled up.' 'These are real people with real families you're hurting with your ridiculous rhetoric and inflammatory comments,' Lyons said. 'Government vendetta': Harvard fights back after Trump blocks its foreign students from US 'Not a great day': Trump to visiting German leader on D-Day invasion that led to end of Nazis Trump 'very disappointed' with Elon, who he says has 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' Lawmakers decry FirstLight dam's 300-gallon oil spill into Conn. River Funding cuts, lawsuits, foreign students: The latest on Trump's war with Harvard University Read the original article on MassLive.
Sky News AU
a day ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Boston Mayor blasted for comparing ICE agents to Neo-Nazis
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been slammed after her 'sickening' comparison of ICE agents to Neo-Nazis. While speaking to ABC 5, Wu claimed she does not 'know of any police department that routinely wears masks.' The mayor then criticised Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents for wearing masks during arrests. Wu then compared ICE agents to New England-based neo-Nazi group 'NSC-131' because they 'routinely wear masks'. The Department of Homeland Security quickly shut down the mayor's comments in a post to X. 'Mayor Wu comparing ICE agents to neo-Nazis is sickening,' they wrote.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Homeland Security says Boston's mayor comparing ICE agents to neo-Nazis is 'sickening'
The Department of Homeland Security says Boston's Democrat mayor comparing ICE agents to neo-Nazis is "sickening." The reaction Thursday came in response to a video posted by an account affiliated with the White House, during which Michelle Wu said, "I don't know of any police department that routinely wears masks. "We know that there are other groups that routinely wear masks. NSC-131 routinely wears masks," Wu added, in reference to a New England-based neo-Nazi group. "Mayor Wu comparing ICE agents to neo-Nazis is SICKENING," Homeland Security wrote on X. "When our heroic law enforcement officers conduct operations, they clearly identify themselves as law enforcement while wearing masks to protect themselves from being targeted by known and suspected gang members, murders, and rapists." False Rumors Of Minneapolis Ice Raid Spark Protest As Police Decry 'Irreponsible' Information From Elected Officials "Attacks and demonization of our brave law enforcement is WRONG. ICE officers are now facing a 413% increase in assaults," Homeland Security added. Read On The Fox News App The Anti-Defamation League said members of NSC-131 "consider themselves soldiers at war with a hostile, Jewish-controlled system that is deliberately plotting the extinction of the White race." Wu also recently said in an interview with Wbur that "People are terrified for their lives and for their neighbors" and "folks [are] getting snatched off the street by secret police who are wearing masks, who can offer no justification for why certain people are being taken and then detained." Democrats Vying For Nyc Mayor Spar Over Defunding Police, Combating Ice ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, in a message to Wu on Wednesday, said "these are real people with real families you're hurting with your ridiculous rhetoric and inflammatory comments and it's time to remember that." Leah Foley, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, also released a video message saying "federal agents in marked jackets and vests are masking their faces because people like Mayor Wu have created false narratives about their mission. "Federal agents and their children are being threatened, doxxed and assaulted. That is why they must hide their faces," she article source: Homeland Security says Boston's mayor comparing ICE agents to neo-Nazis is 'sickening'
