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WOBURN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Woburn Police have put an officer on administrative leave for allegedly participating in the 2017 Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally in 2017.
Woburn Police said Officer John Donnelly also helped plan the rally, which included neo-Nazi groups that chanted antisemitic slogans. One counter-protestor was eventually killed in a ramming attack at the rally.
Chief Robert F. Rufo Jr. said the Charlottesville rally "is in direct opposition to the core values of the Woburn Police Department," and promised to get Donnelly decertified so he could no longer serve in any department in Massachusetts if the allegations hold weight.
Mayor Scott Galvin called the allegations "deeply disturbing" and signaled that he would move for the officer to be fired if they are true.
Donnelly is on paid leave as the department investigates.
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