Daily Archives: January 15, 2021

Asked to denounce violent right-wing extremist groups including the Proud Boys during Tuesdays raucous presidential debate, President Trump only told them to stand back and stand by a response cheered by members.

While the group has been active since at least 2016, it has come to the fore amid clashes over racism and policing that have gripped the nation in the wake of George Floyds death this year.

Members of the gang immediately celebrated Trumps comment Tuesday night in encrypted messaging chats they use to communicate with one another.

Trump basically said to go fk them up! this makes me so happy, one of the members wrote in a chat on the app Telegram, according to screenshots posted online.

Standing by, sir, another added.

The groups Seattle chapter quickly adopted the presidents comment as part of their motto, according to one screenshot, which shows an image of the words Stand Back and Stand By surrounding the gangs crest.

The gang-like extremist group was founded in the lead-up to the Trump 2016 presidential victory. In a number of radio broadcasts, McInnes has advocated for Trump supporters to commit acts of violence against rivals and said members of the Proud Boys would do so.

We will kill you, thats the Proud Boys in a nutshell. We will kill you. We look nice. We seem soft. We have boys in our name, but like Bill the Butcher and the Bowery Boys, we will assassinate you, McInnes said in one of his radio appearances.

To join, recruits have to take an oath declaring they are a proud Western chauvinist and refuse to apologize for creating the modern world. After its founding, new members were also barred from masturbating more than once a month, according to the groups bylaws.

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DENVER Milagros Sotelo was looking forward to traveling from...

The group claims they are not a racist organization, but the Southern Poverty Law Center considers them a general hate extremist group that espouses misogynistic, anti-Muslim and homophobic rhetoric.

Gavin McInnes rose to fame as co-founder of VICE Media alongside fellow Canadian Shane Smith in the 1990s. Hes since turned to podcasting to promote his conservative ideology and has appeared on the hugely popular Joe Rogan podcast.

Hes drawn criticism for a number of his statements, including a condemnation by Canadas Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs for a YouTube video he uploaded in 2017 called 10 Things I Hate About Jews, in which he said Israelis were obsessed with the Holocaust.

McInnes lives in Westchester County and has whined in a statement about the treatment hes received since founding the Proud Boys.

My family has been attacked and so have my friends, he wrote in a post decrying the SPLCs hate group designation of the Proud Boys.

The pro-Trump mens club I started, the Proud Boys, have been rounded up and arrested facing serious felonies for daring to defend themselves against the radical left. Its not just my circle of conservative Christians. Seemingly countless businesses and careers have been destroyed by this group, he added.

McInnes claimed to have quit the group after a number of members were arrested following the brawl in Manhattan.

Im told by my legal team and law enforcement that this gesture could help alleviate their sentencing. Fine. At the very least, this will show jurors they are not dealing with a gang and there is no head of operations. We are not an extremist group and we do not have ties with white nationalists, McInnes wrote in a statement at the time.

Infamously, the Proud Boys sparked a street brawl with leftists on the streets of Midtown Manhattan after McInnes spoke at the Metropolitan Republican Club in 2018.

McInnes brandished a sword at demonstrators who had gathered to protest his appearance outside the club before getting into a cab prior to the brawl.

Members of the gang have appeared at a number of extremist gatherings, including the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., where a white supremacist drove into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing one.

Members of the Denver chapter of the group have also marched alongside extremist and neo-Nazi groups, according to the Anti-Defamation League.

The Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League both consider the group a right-wing, extremist organization but one that occupies an unusual place on the extremist spectrum.

In a report on the group, the ADL labeled them alt lite, as opposed to more blatant and extreme alt-right groups.

While the group can be described as violent, nationalistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and misogynistic, its members represent a range of ethnic backgrounds, and its leaders vehemently protest any allegations of racism, the ADL wrote in the report.

The SPLC noted in a report on the Proud Boys that despite McInnes claim the group is not a white supremacist organization, he himself espouses white supremacist tropes.

McInnes plays a duplicitous rhetorical game: rejecting white nationalism and, in particular, the term alt-right while espousing some of its central tenets. For example, McInnes has himself said it is fair to call him Islamophobic, they wrote.

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Who are the Proud Boys? A look into the group and its leaders

GettyA member of far-right group "Proud Boys" holds a megaphone during "The End Domestic Terrorism" rally at Tom McCall Waterfront Park on August 17, 2019 in Portland, Oregon.

The Proud Boys, an alt-right group who say they are Western Chauvinists who refuse to apologize for the modern world are holding a rally in Portland Saturday, The Seattle Times reported. The paper wrote that in anticipation of that rally, Portland Antifa activists and other protesters are planning their own rally at the same time about three miles away.

The city in conjunction with Portland Police issued a statement saying they will be prepared because numerous past mass gathering events in the City of Portland, involving individuals and groups with differing ideologies, resulted in criminal behavior by some participants, including but not limited to assaults, vandalism, weapons violations, as well as a recent homicide following a rally. Some incidents have resulted in arrests; others remain under investigations.

There have been several clashes between The Proud Boys and those who act in the name of Antifa over the last few years. Portland Police Chief Chuck Lovell said in the statement:

Across our region we have witnessed devastation and loss of life from COVID to wildfires to gun violence. It is up to all of us to make sure we do not have an event where further loss of life results. Lawful engagement in First Amendment rights is acceptable; attendance with the intent to harm or intimidate others is not appropriate or safe for anyone.

Due to the heightened rhetoric and many recent events where crimes occurred, we are developing a thorough plan to do everything possible to keep everyone safe.

Here is what you need to know about The Proud Boys:

GettyLeader of the far-right group Proud Boys Enrique Tarrio marches during The End Domestic Terrorism rally at Tom McCall Waterfront Park on August 17, 2019 in Portland, Oregon.

According to The Proud Boy manifesto, the group, which was formed in 2016 by Vice Co-Founder Gavin McInnis (who left the group in 2018) is socially liberal and welcomes gay members. They also say in the document, We disavow Nazis and dont want them at our meet-ups. We disavow racists and dont want them at our meet-ups. We allow weak, beta male virgins to join because our fraternity is about helping men improve their lives and that includes all men.

Rolling Stone reported in August 2019, Above all else, their target is the overall feminization of Western culture or the idea that masculinity has been slowly degraded by leftist ideology; their core beliefs can best be summarized as a mlange of neofascism, Fight Club-esque hypermasculinity, and early-2000s-era hipster trolling.

Yet their reputation as alt-right often means theyre thrown in the pot with white supremacists. According to the Anti-Defamation League, The Proud Boys represent an unconventional strain of American right-wing extremism. While the group can be described as violent, nationalistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and misogynistic, its members represent a range of ethnic backgrounds, and its leaders vehemently protest any allegations of racism.

In fact, two of their leaders are men of color. Dante Nero, who the Proud Boys call their Pope because he helped found their religion, according to the manifesto, is a Black man. Another leader, Enrique Tarrio, who is the International Chairman of The Proud Boys, is Afro-Cuban.

In a recent interview with conservative Portland radio host, Lars Larson, Tarrio said:

I dont know what everybodys opinion of what alt-right is, but usually they like to mingle that with white nationalism and white supremacy. And again, like I said before, we arent a group that cares, like when you apply to be part our great fraternity, we dont ask you any of those questions. For us its about American values and standing up to tyranny really is what it is and thats what were seeing here. Were seeing unchecked anarchy and tyranny from [Porland Mayor] Ted Wheeler.

GettyA member of the Proud Boys shows his tattoo during The End Domestic Terrorism rally at Tom McCall Waterfront Park on August 17, 2019 in Portland, Oregon.

Before McInnis left the group in 2018 after the FBI classified The Proud Boys as an an extremist group with ties to white nationalism, according to The Guardian, The Proud Boys took to heart his ideas on how to Save America. (The FBI later said they did not designate The Proud Boys an extremist group, The Washington Post reported.)

The manifesto says, Our founder Gavin McInnes (peace be upon him) often cites his 10 Ways to Save America list as a compendium of proud Western beliefs. Brothers dont have to ascribe to all of these but it does provide a good idea of where we stand.

According to the Proud Boys Manifesto, The 10 ways are:

As part of the Proud Boys code, according to their No Wanks portion of the manifesto, A Proud Boy may not ejaculate alone more often than once every thirty days. During that time theyre also told to refrain from watching pornography. If a man needs to ejaculate and physical sex isnt an option, he can masturbate within one yard of a woman with her consent. However, no prostitutes allowed for that purpose, according to the manifesto.

The group attributes those rules to their religion, which they say comes from their pope Dante Nero, who calls himself a Relationship Guru in his Twitter bio. There is no reprieve for married men who are away from their wives for long periods of time because according to the manifesto, no virtual sex is allowed.

Proud Boy members say they exalt the housewife because they create human life, shape it, and build the communities in which we live, according to the manifesto. With the family, comes a deep respect for the housewife. We see housewives as sentient beings who have an incredible gift.

Yet when it comes to women who want to be anything but housewives and the role of feminism in American culture, the Proud Boys seem to view it as a threat.

In a 2017 article by the Wisconsin Watch, three members spoke to a reporter using only their first names. One, named Eric, said of feminism, Its cancer I just think its taken so much away from the traditional family that its contributed to the degradation of the American family. When it came to equality for women and equal rights and votes, OK yeah, thats all good and well. But now its just turned into kind of whats seeming to be anti-male basically.

And The New York Times reported that McInnis once summed it up by saying Im an Archie Bunker sexist. I dont like Gloria Steinem, but Id take a bullet for Edith.

GettyA member of the Proud Boys is seen handcuffed as he is arrested by Oregon police after allegedly attacking Antifa protestors in Salem, Oregon on September 7, 2020.

The Proud Boys leaders sometimes say theyre not looking for fights, maintaining theyre a group of guys who like to get together and drink who share common values, yet they often end up embroiled in violence. Just one example came In October 2018, 10 members of the Proud Boys were arrested after several of them were seen chasing and then beating someone after a GOP event in Manhattan. The attack was caught on video. The men were accused of attacking protesters outside the event, according to Huffington Post.

According to The Southern Poverty Law Group who wrote in reaction to that attack:

The Proud Boys credo is that violence is a really effective way to solve problems, and, according to McInnes, the political left poses an existential threat to the nations future. While the Proud Boys leader might not be issuing dictums, he and his reactionary troops are using violence to shut down and punish those whose views conflict with their own and, as was the case with the foreigner the group beat on Friday, those they believe do not deserve a place in the body politic.

As part of the groups manifesto, they say, to the parasites both on the streets and in the White House who want to attack us and take what we earn. To the trespassers who want to sabotage our culture our family and our way of life. You want a war? Well, youve got one. To all of our enemies both high and low. BRING IT ON!

Meanwhile, Tarrio told Larson ahead of the September 26 rally:

We just want to be left alone. We want to send our message. We want to wave our flags. We want to do our speeches and we want to go home. We dont want any issues. And were going to come to Portland planning on being peaceful. If they want to come protest us, you know what Lars, I welcome it. I want people to protest things that they dont see as right. No matter how misguided in my opinion they are. Its fine with me. I want that but what we wont condone and wont tolerate is the violence.

Two of the Proud Boys who were arrested in the NY attack tried to convince the courts that they acted in self-defense when they beat four Antifa protestors, according to NBC News. But the courts saw it differently and each was sentenced to four years in prison for attempted gang assault, attempted assault, and rioting.

Proud Of Your Boy In Studio With Alan Menken (from "Aladdin" Original Broadway Cast RDownload the Aladdin Original Broadway Cast Recording here: http://smarturl.it/abcra1 Stream it here: http://smarturl.it/abcrsta1 http://Www.facebook.com/disneymusic http://Www.twitter.com/disneymusic http://Www.instagram.com/disneymusic (C) 2014 Walt Disney Records2014-06-17T18:35:58Z

Once a man takes the pledge to become a Proud Boy, which simply means embracing the mantra that they are Western Chauvinists who refuse to apologize for the modern world he can move up in degrees by meeting certain thresholds. If he takes those words to heart, hes a first-degree Proud Boy.

To become a second-degree Proud Boy a member has to name five breakfast cereals while other members pound him with their fists. He also must agree to the No Wanks rules. To become a third-degree Proud Boy, a member has to get a Proud Boy Tattoo, ideally in the traditional tattoo font of yore, according to the manifesto.

Finally, to become a fourth-degree Proud Boy the manifesto says, This degree is loosely defined as engaging in a major conflict for the cause. Being arrested is not encouraged although those who are immediately become fourth degrees because the court has registered a major conflict. Serious physical fights also count and its up to each chapter to determine how serious the conflict must be to determine fourth.

Whether or not choosing a Disney song called, Proud of Your Boy is tongue in cheek, the groups attempt at humor, or belies some Freudian theory, the manifesto says its healthy to sing it at least once a night at the Proud Boy meet-ups. While they maintain thats not always realistic, the manifesto says they try to find bars that might have the song available on the jukebox.

Proud of Your Boy is about a boy wanting to make his mother proud.

READ NEXT: How Did Kyle Rittenhouse Have an AR-15 at 17 Years Old?

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Proud Boys: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

Voting in the 2020 U.S. Election may be over, but the misinformation keeps on ticking. Never stop fact-checking. Follow our post-election coverage here.

Within minutes after U.S. President Donald Trump told the Proud Boys, a far-right group with members who espouse white supremacism, to stand back and stand by, on national television on Sept. 29, 2020, members of the men-only group took to fringe social media sites to celebrate what they considered a historic moment for their ideological push against leftists.

The presidents comment which viewers interpreted as either an endorsement of neo-fascism or an example of his unorganized speaking style took place on a presidential debate stage with Democratic rival Joe Biden after moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump to condemn white supremacists and militia groups, and he did not do it.The scene unfolded like this:

Trump: I would say, I would say almost everything I see is from the left wing, not from the right wing Wallace:So what do you, what are you saying?Trump:Im willing to do anything, I want to see peace Wallace:Then do it, Sir Biden:Say it. Do it. Say it.Trump:Do you want to call them, what do you want to call them? Give me name, give me a name, go ahead Wallace:White supremacists and right-wing Trump:Who do you want me to condemn? Who?Biden:The Proud BoysWallace:White supremacists and right-wing militiasTrump:The Proud Boys? Stand back and stand by, but Ill tell you what, Ill tell you what, somebodys got to do something about Antifa and the Left

Two days later, Trump explicitly condemned white supremacists and the Proud Boys, though he also said he didnt know much about the latter. The impact of his stand back and by comment had already taken hold, however: The presidents remarks catapulted the group, which was previously on the fringe of Americas political spectrum, into the mainstream spotlight.

Based on our analysis of the Proud Boys activities online and news reports, the debate almost immediately galvanized members on Parler, Gab, and the encrypted chat app Telegram (corners of the internet where the group is not banned) into screening more potential recruits, circulating images of the presidents words on their logo, and searching for hidden meaning behind them. Enrique Tarrio, the groups leader, wrote on Parler: Standing by sir.

Another person wrote on the site: [Trump] is not stupid! This is one of the very few times that he was being politically correct in saying he doesnt know the Proud Boys! But, by his stand by, he let us know that he appreciates yall!

Below, we explain who the Proud Boys are, what they claim to believe, and how they came to represent a dangerous chasm in Americas culture war operating under the guise of a fraternal organization while receiving the designation of hate group from the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a nonprofit legal advocacy organization that monitors extremist organizations.

To unpack the ideologies of the group, we first examined the history of its founder: Gavin McInnes.

He was born in England, raised in Canada, and spent years making wildly racist, xenophobic, or sexist statements under a supposed veil of humor as the co-founder of VICE media. (He left VICE in 2008, citing creative differences.) Such statements included, per the SPLC:

By the time of Trumps 2016 presidential race against then-Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, McInnes had established himself as a right-wing media provocateur and used that notoriety to start what he called a pro-Western fraternity in New York City, or essentially what he attempted to brand as a drinking club to celebrate Western chauvinism. Within months, various Proud Boys online forums and monthly in-person meetups across the country created a space for frustrated young men of various beliefs, ranging from free speech activists to violent white supremacists, to pass off offensive remarks by calling them ironic or jokes.

We love Trump, McInnes said in a December 2018 interview with ABC News. [Election night 2016] was just heaven, and we thought, finally, all of this politically correct pandering, all this pedantic social justice warrior stuff, its going to at least take a break.

As of this report, local chapters exist in most states and several countries, including Japan and Australia. Each local group maintains a hierarchy of members based on whether they endured initiation rituals, promised to stop masturbating or watching porn, or got a Proud Boys tattoo, among other things.

In short, according to the groups website, each member must declare himself a Western chauvinist who refuses to apologize for creating the modern world which means they want to adhere to traditional gender roles, close national borders, give every American a gun, and end government welfare and anti-racial guilt and share a common hatred for Americans on the countrys far political left, including critics of Trump and fascism.

According to Heidi Beirich, an expert on far-right politics who co-founded the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, the Proud Boys exhibit an oversized presence in politically fractious situations, such as during protests against police brutality and racism in Portland and Seattle in 2020, The Washington Post reported. She estimated there are hundreds of Proud Boys members overall, though it is unclear as of this writing how the presidents remark at the debate would impact membership. Several Parler and Facebook users expressed new interest in joining or supporting the group after the shoutout, according to a Snopes analysis.

Before and during the groups existence, McInnes advocated brutal tactics against the groups enemies people against fascism or critics of Trump and exhibited a clear pattern of promoting of anti-Muslim, misogynistic, racist, transphobic, and anti-Semitic beliefs. In a June 2016 episode of the Gavin McInnes Show, McInnes said, We will kill you. Thats the Proud Boys in a nutshell. We will kill you, per the Anti-Defamation League, another anti-hate organization.

The SPLC stated: [Violence] is firmly entrenched in Proud Boy dogma. McInnes was filmed punching a counterprotester outside of the Deploraball in January 2017, and after a speaking engagement at New York University the next month turned violent, he wryly declared, I cannot recommend violence enough. Its a really effective way to solve problems.'

The groups ideals inspired another member, Kyle Chapman, to create a tactical defense arm of the group called the Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights. Chapman, who faces a felony charge after video recordings showed him hitting counterprotesters with a wooden cane in Berkeley in March 2017, has led rallies nationwide and has given media interviews in which he promotes both the Proud Boys and outright white nationalism. Youre maybe gonna have to do some time in jail and you very may well have to die, Chapman told a crowd of supporters at a July 2017 Unite America First Peace Rally in Sacramento. Im willing to die. Are you guys willing to die?

Of the Proud Boys relationship to Chapmans defense arm, the SPLC wrote: To Proud Boys leadership, the partnership only made sense and was, in fact, necessary for the progress of their movement: with violent neo-Marxists stopping at nothing to destroy Western civilization, a contingent of men should be in place to defend against the ever-present threat.

In fall 2018, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram started banning content linked to the Proud Boys and McInnes, citing the platforms prohibition on hate groups or violent extremists. Then, in summer 2020, YouTube suspended McInnes for a similar reason: violating that platforms rules against hate speech.

Members adopted different venues for recruiting people and circulating memes, including Telegram and Parler, which branded itself as the free speech network and emerged during the Trump presidency as not only a retreat for the Proud Boys but for other far-right groups frustrated by mainstream platforms censoring of hate speech. As an example of social media chatter inciting or endorsing physical intimidation, one person wrote this on Parler following the presidents mention of the Proud Boys at the presidential debate, per a screenshot captured by Snopes:

About 15 guys were ready to Throw-down with BLM, the post says, in reference to the Black Lives Matter movement against the unjust killings of Black Americans by police. We chased them around the block. They had to leave early.

In sum, the SPLC has designated the Proud Boys a hate group for the following reasons:

Their disavowals of bigotry are belied by their actions: rank-and-file Proud Boys and leaders regularly spout white nationalist memes and maintain affiliations with known extremists. They are known for anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric. Proud Boys have appeared alongside other hate groups at extremist gatherings like the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville.

Other hardcore members of the so-called alt-right have argued that the western chauvinist label is just a PR c term McInnes crafted to gain mainstream acceptance.

The group over the years became known for counterprotesting anti-Trump demonstrations in cities such as Seattle, Portland, and Berkeley, or staging their own rallies to supposedly show their tolerance for free speech. Members signature uniform consisted of a yellow-trimmed black Fred Perry polo with a laurel wreath, typically accessorized with the Trump campaigns red MAGA hat, American flag symbols, or bulletproof vests. Some Proud Boys also wielded batons, bear mace, or guns at the protests.

In effect, some law enforcement agencies considered the group the equivalent to a street gang looking to fight with people with opposing ideological views, such as far-left protesters against white supremacy and Trump. As of this writing, episodes of violence linked to current or former members of the Proud Boys included, per news reports and Anti-Defamation League:

Despite that evidence, as well as documentation of conversations in which Proud Boys describe how they bait opponents into making the first move, leaders repeatedly insisted that members only act in self-defense. The ADL stated:

Again, real world events belie the claims made by various Proud Boys leaders. Not only have there been several instances where Proud Boys have engaged in unprovoked violence, their social media conversations also demonstrate how inciting violence and responding to small slights with brutal force is key to the Proud Boys strategy. [] Proud Boys and their allies purposefully organize and act in a manner that will all but guarantee violence.

According to the SPLC, the violent episode in Charlottesville where 32-year-old Heather Heyer was killed when a car deliberately rammed into a crowd marked a switch in how McInnes tried to brand the Proud Boys to separate them from more hardcore groups that overtly promote white supremacy and anti-Semitism. The center stated: It was only after the violence in Charlottesville, when any doubts about the true nature of the movement were stripped away, that Mcinnes attempted to earnestly distance the Proud Boys from the alt-right label. Before that, he seemed content to let the Proud Boys brand appear more ideologically ambiguous, profiting off the alt-rights rising popularity until things got ugly.

The ADL summarized the Proud Boys political influence like this: After several years of forging alliances with members of the Republican political establishment, the Proud Boys have carved out a niche for themselves as both a right-wing fight club and a volunteer security force for the GOP. Despite their associations with mainstream politicians, Proud Boys actions and statements repeatedly land them in the company of white supremacists and right-wing extremists.

The number of Republican politicians, whether at the city, state, or federal level, who support the Proud Boys is unknown, though evidence linked the group to at least one U.S. Senate candidate and Trumps longtime adviser Roger Stone, who was convicted of lying to federal investigators during their investigation into the campaigns relationship with Russian operatives.

Both Stone and Lauren Witzke, a Republican candidate for Delaware U.S. Senate, enlisted Proud Boys to provide security at events in 2020.

Additionally, Proud Boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio, who succeeded McInnes in fall 2018 and lives in Florida, leads the states unofficial Latinos for Trump group, as of this report. In February 2019, he was spotted in the first several audience rows of a Trump rally, wearing black sunglasses, a black baseball hat and and a black T-shirt that read, Roger Stone Did Nothing Wrong!

Tarrio had attended Florida Republican events for years and launched a brief, unsuccessful campaign to represent a portion of South Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020. He dropped out of the race before the primary election.

Florida Republican congressional candidate Laura Loomer, a far-right provocateur whose hate speech has gotten her banned from mainstream social media sites, defended the group in a October 2020 interview with Forward, a news outlet for Jewish Americans, and said McInnes is a friend to her. I think Jewish organizations should be more concerned with Antifa and Black Lives Matter than the Proud Boys, she said.

In an interview with Business Insider, Tarrio said at least 30 Proud Boys were campaigning for political offices ranging from local City Council seats to U.S. Congress, but he did not identify them, citing concerns for their safety. People may not even know theyre voting for a member of the group, the news outlet reported.

McInnes announced he was stepping away from the Proud Boys in November 2018 and months later filed a defamation lawsuit against the SPLC, alleging that its hate group designation for the Proud Boys erroneously damaged his career. (That case is ongoing as of this report.) Then, Tarrio, 36, a Cuban-American from Miami, took over as chairman.

Responding to a survey during his brief congressional campaign, Tarrio said he was born in Miami to Cuban-American parents, owns several small businesses in the security and surveillance industry, and got involved in political activism in 2005. He said he studied at Miami Dade College and the University of Miami.

According to public records obtained by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Tarrio has a criminal history that includes theft charges. In 2013, he was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison for rebranding stolen medical devices and reselling them across state lines, according to federal records.

In a December 2018 interview with The Miami New Times, Tarrio said he was attracted to two of the Proud Boys ideals glorify the entrepreneur and abolish prisons since he said he saw firsthand that the prison system isnt helping reform anyone. (We should note here: Proud Boys did not list abolishing or dismantling the prison system as a core value on its website.) He defended members offensive posts, including homophobic and racial slurs and rape jokes, as free speech. Tarrio himself at one point called African American actress Leslie Jones an ape, called Islam a shitstain of a religion, and referred to transgender people as it on social media, per the newspapers analysis.

Also in 2018, Tarrio was captured in video footage representing the Proud Boys and heckling then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi at a campaign event, yelling: You dont belong here, you fucking communist.

No, but that doesnt mean the group doesnt promote racism (well explain more below).

First, members of the Proud Boys represent a range of ethnic backgrounds, and leaders have repeatedly said they will screen any man who wants into the group regardless of of his sexual orientation, voting record, or race.

That, according to supporters, is evidence of the groups inclusiveness and discredits allegations of racism and bigotry as well as the fact that their leader identifies as Afro-Cuban. Wilfred Reilly, a political science professor at Kentucky State University, told the conservative media outlet, The Washington Times: The Proud Boys are openly right-leaning group and theyll openly fight you. They dont deny any of this, but saying theyre white supremacist, if youre talking about a group of people more than 10% people of color and headed by an Afro-Latino guy, that doesnt make sense.

But whats missing in that logic is the clear pattern of social media posts and statements by Proud Boys members that promote white supremacy, as well as members associations with extreme white nationalists. No matter how leaders attempt to control the narrative and brand the Proud Boys as a benign, men-only drinking club, documented evidence shows otherwise, according to findings compiled by the anti-hate groups.

Such a rhetorical strategy is known to scholars of white nationalist and extremist groups. Sociologist Rogers Brubaker, for instance, said the concurrent embrace of intolerance and inclusion is a recruiting strategy people who may otherwise hold an aversion toward extremist groups might join because of the ideological muddiness, and the organization could grow to gain mainstream acceptance among journalists, politicians, and the public, per the SPLC. The center added:

The Proud Boys pro-western posture allows them to position themselves somewhat counterintuitively as a tolerant and progressive social force. If Islamic backwardness, as they imagine, threatens gay people and women, then they serve as their guardians by protecting and promoting western values. Their opposition to Muslims and Islam, improbably, stands as a marker of their own tolerance. In that way, their ideology is similar to many European far-right groups like the French National Front and Danish Party for Freedom who push hardline anti-immigration policies at the same time they call for greater tolerance in the form of secularism and gender equality, all the while attempting to distance themselves from overt racists.

In other words, Proud Boys are utter exemplars of plausible deniability and wanting to have it both ways, to keep followers, said Alexandra Minna Stern, a University of Michigan professor and researcher of eugenics in the U.S.

One former member told ABC News reporters he left the Proud Boys after the deadly Charlottesville rally because while the group was not solely responsible for the violence there its meetings and online forums provided a safe haven for those kinds of racists ideas.

Everybody is not perpetuating violence, but the complicitness in knowing that theres violence going on, the complicitness in that youre not checking people who have racist and violent tendencies makes you part of the problem, the ex-Proud Boy said.

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Who Are the Proud Boys Trump Told To 'Stand Back and Stand ...

Video Backgrounder

Background

The Proud Boys represent an unconventional strain of American right-wing extremism. While the group can be described as violent, nationalistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and misogynistic, its members represent a range of ethnic backgrounds, and its leaders vehemently protest any allegations of racism. Their founder, Gavin McInnes, went so far as to file a defamation lawsuit against the Southern Poverty Law Center when the SPLC designated the Proud Boys a hate group.

In McInnes own words, the Proud Boys are a pro-western fraternity, essentially a drinking club dedicated to male bonding, socializing and the celebration all things related to western culture. In reality, the Proud Boys bear many of the hallmarks of a gang, and its members have taken part in multiple acts of brutal violence and intimidation. While the Proud Boys insist that they only act in self-defense, several incidents including one in which two members of the group were convicted of attempted gang assault, attempted assault and riot belie their self-professed peaceful nature. Indeed, many members have criminal records for violent behavior and the organization actively pursues violence against their perceived enemies.

During the last three years, the Proud Boys have established themselves as a dominant force withinthe alt lite. Easily recognizable, thanks to their black and yellow Fred Perry polo shirts and red Make America Great Again baseball caps, members are regulars at far-right demonstrations and Trump rallies. After several years of forging alliances with members of the Republican political establishment, the Proud Boys have carved out a niche for themselves as both a right-wing fight club and a volunteer security force for the GOP. Despite their associations with mainstream politicians, Proud Boys actions and statements repeatedly land them in the company of white supremacists and right-wing extremists. Jason Kessler, the primary organizer of the deadly 2017 Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, is a former Proud Boy. Several members attended the violent August 12, 2017 demonstration that ended in the death of counter-protestor Heather Heyer.

During an October 2018 brawl outside the Metropolitan Republican Club in Manhattan, for which two Proud Boys members were convicted and sentenced to substantial prison terms, and seven others pled guilty, the Proud Boys were joined by the 211 Bootboys, an ultra-nationalist and violent skinhead gang based in New York City. In October 2019, members of the Denver chapter of the Proud Boys marched with members of Patriot Front and former members of the now-defunctneo-Nazi group Traditionalist Worker Party. These relationships show the Proud Boys to be less a pro-western drinking club and more an extreme, right-wing gang. Ideologically, members subscribe to a scattershot array of libertarian and nationalist tropes, referring to themselves as anti-communist and anti-political correctness, but in favor of free speech and free markets.

History

The Proud Boys was formed in 2016 by VICE Media co-founder, Gavin McInnes. In an op-ed in the far-right outlet Takis Magazinenotorious for its regular contributors, which included white supremacist Jared TaylorMcInnes announced the foundation of the group, describing its members as Western chauvinists who refuse to apologise [sic] for creating the modern world, and who long for the days when girls were girls and men were men. According to McInnes, the Proud Boys, whose name is taken from a song in the musical Aladdin, are a response and opposition to politically correct culture.

McInnes, whose VICE magazine built its reputation on publishing juvenile and often offensive material, had been trying to establish himself for years as a professional provocateur, making wildly racist statements and claiming it was all ironic, or tongue-in-cheek. In 2002, he said, We seem really racist and homophobic because we hang around with fags and niggers so much. It just becomes part of our vernacular.

At the same time, McInnes was becoming increasingly overt in his xenophobia and racism, telling the New York Times in 2003 that, I love being white and I think it's something to be very proud of. I don't want our culture diluted. We need to close the borders now and let everyone assimilate to a Western, white, English-speaking way of life.

According to McInnes plan, the roughly 1,000 Proud Boys would be organized into chapters nationwide. Membership would be divided into ranks from one to four.

To attain level one, an initiate must publicly state: I am a proud Western chauvinist, I refuse to apologize for creating the modern world.

To reach level two, the initiate must endure a beating by his comrades while reciting the names of five breakfast cereals. This is ostensibly to demonstrate adrenaline control; leaked online videos show the ritual to be far less violent than what McInnes described. Initiates are told to limit masturbation to once per month. The idea behind this ban -- that porn is making men weak and keeping them from forming real relationships with women -- is common throughout the right-wing extremist movement. In his op-ed, McInnes wrote: Though sexual intercourse is encouraged, Proud Boys have an endgame and it is to settle down and have kids. They have absolutely no respect for feminists but venerate the housewife so much, they are actually becoming quite popular with women.

To achieve the third level, an initiate must get a Proud Boys tattoo. Common variations are Proud Boy, POYB (acronym for Proud of Your Boy) and Uhuru, a Swahili word for freedom that the Proud Boys have appropriated as their battle cry.

Finally, the fourth level, which McInnes did not describe in the foundational document, is an honorary degree awarded for a material sacrifice or service by a brother. McInnes said in an interview that the fourth degree is awarded for a major fight for the cause. You get beat up, kick the crap out of an antifa," but he later backpedaled, saying it obviously doesnt mean you go to someones house or even pick a fight with one at a rally. Fourth degree is a consolation prize for being thrust into a shitty situation and surviving.

In October 2018, as law enforcement sought members of the Proud Boys for their role in the fight outside the Metropolitan Republican Club, Proud Boys leadership released a clarified set of bylaws that seemed to contradict their prior, violent rhetoric. The new language reads: Any requirement that a brother commit a violent or illegal act as a condition precedent to receiving a fourth degree is, by this bylaw, abolished.

In early 2019, before Proud Boys John Kinsman and Maxwell Hare were convicted for their role in the 2018 fight, McInnes announced that he would no longer be formally involved with the Proud Boys. Leadership was assumed briefly by disgraced Texas attorney, Jason van Dyke, before he was replaced by Enrique Tarrio, a Cuban-American from Miami. Tarrio, the current chairman, is also running for the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020.

Violence

Violence has been a key component of the Proud Boys since the groups creation.

On August 22, 2020, members of the Proud Boys fought with counter-protestors in Portland, Oregon. This clash between right-wing and left-wing activists was one of manyin Portland and other American cities throughout the summer, and Proud Boys had been a fixture at most of them.

Ahead of the August 22 brawl, one prominent member of the group, Tusitala Tiny Toese, who is barred from taking part in any protest in Portland as a condition of his probation following his sentencing for assault, explained that the Proud Boys were in the streets because they werepissed off and didnt want to see this country burn.This is part of a trend of far right vigilantism where Proud Boys self-deputize in order to assist law enforcement. Armed with bear mace, clubs, paintball guns and in the case of one Proud Boys member,an actual gun, the Proud Boys engaged in multiple acts of violence against counter-protestors and members of the media. One journalist suffered a broken finger when Proud Boys memberTravis Taylor allegedly attacked him with a club.

Patriot Prayer, frequent Proud Boys collaborators, organized another protest that turned violent, on August 15, 2020. The event was attended by Proud Boys, including Alan Swinney, who would later brandish a revolverat the August 22 protest, and who came to the August 15 eventarmed with a paintball gun,which he used on counter-protestors.One person was injured after being hit with a paintball pellet, although it is unknown if Swinney was the shooter. At least two gunshots were reported during the protest; the shooter remaining unknown. One day earlier, Proud Boys clashed with counter-protestors in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

No members of the Proud Boys were arrested in the aftermath of these protests although a Multnomah County judge issued a new warrant for Tusitala Toese following his appearance at the August 22 protest.

McInnes has repeatedly advocated brutal tactics when dealing with the Proud Boys sworn enemies -- anti-fascist counter protestors, otherwise known as antifa -- and leaked chats from social messaging app Telegram reveal a clear pattern of inciting violence. In a June 2016 episode of the Gavin McInnes Show, McInnes warned his enemies, We will kill you. Thats the Proud Boys in a nutshell. We will kill you.

And yet, the groups leaders have repeatedly attempted to distance themselves from violence, both threatened and actual. In the aftermath of the 2018 brawl in Manhattan, McInnes stated in an interview with NewsmaxTV that he does not control these guys and described himself as the founder, not the leader. Similarly, Tarrio has repeatedly insisted that the Proud Boys organization is nonviolent.

Again, real world events belie the claims made by various Proud Boys leaders. Not only have there been several instances where Proud Boys have engaged in unprovoked violence, their social media conversations also demonstrate how inciting violence and responding to small slights with brutal force is key to the Proud Boys strategy. In fact, while the Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights (FOAK) was formed to serve as a tactical defense arm (italics ours) of the Proud Boys, its leader, Kyle Chapman AKA Based Stickman, is a violent felon who has repeatedly encouraged violence against anti-fascist activists, and whose persona stems from his history of threatening counter-protestors with a heavy iron stick. Similarly, Proud Boys and their allies purposefully organize and act in a manner that will all but guarantee violence. In advance of the August 2019 End Domestic Terrorism rally in Portland, Oregon, organizer and outspoken Proud Boys ally, Joe Biggs, posted videos of himself holding a spiked baseball bat with the words Make America Great Again emblazoned on it, telling the camera that Were going to put this to good use. He also posed wearing t-shirts reading, Im Just Here for the Violence and Death to Antifa.

Screen shots of conversations on Telegram reveal how members of the Proud Boys consider any provocation to be a direct assault that legitimizes any use of force as acceptable retaliation. In advance of an April 2019 rally in Rhode Island, a poster wrote, If any contact is made with you, thats assault. If they take your hat, spray you with silly string, spit, push Its assault. We need to have all our guys there before we retaliate though if we can. The cops arent going to let us fight long. We need to inflict as much damage as possible in the time we have. In the same chat room, a Proud Boy member using the name Jason Cardona posed with a hatchet, writing, Group, meet Kindness. Later he posed with a large knife and wrote, If they want to meet wisdom all they have to do is ask. Poster Col. Kish wrote, Its a prior service Marines [sic] to get out and continue beating the fuck out of communists, semper Fi ooh ra.

At the rally in Rhode Island, among others, there have been instances of Proud Boys engaging in unprovoked attacks, as well as groups of Proud Boys attacking single counter-protestors.

In January 2020, Proud Boy member, Tusitala Tiny Toese, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor assault charge for an attack on a man in Portland. Fellow Proud BoyDonovon Flippohad earlier pleaded guilty to fourth-degree assault for the same incident.

In August, 2019, former Patriot Prayer member and current Proud Boy member, Russell Schultz, along with five others, was indicted for rioting following a fight outside the Cider Riot bar in Portland.

On January 6, 2019, self-proclaimed Proud Boy Buckey Wolfe allegedly murdered his brother with a samurai-style sword, claiming that God told me he was a lizard. The Proud Boys released a statement saying that Wolfe had never been approved as a member, but according to the Daily Beast, Buckeys Facebook profile included pictures of him with other members of the group. At the time of the murder, Buckey reportedly subscribed to the QAnon conspiracy theory. Prosecutors say that Buckey demonstratedsigns of mental illness.

Links to the political mainstream

On February 21, 2018, a new video appeared on the Proud Boys YouTube channel, showing Roger Stone, convicted felon and longtime advisor to President Trump, staring into the camera and reciting the Proud Boys initiation: Hi. Im Roger Stone. Im a western chauvinist, and I refuse to apologize for creating the modern world. Stone has had a long relationship with the Proud Boys, posing in countless pictures with various members, appearing in videos, receiving support from the group during his 2019 trial and even using them as private security at events. But Stone is not the only link between the Proud Boys and the political establishment.

After Gavin McInnes speech at the Metropolitan Republican Club in 2018, conservative commentator Ann Coulter tweeted, Get a Proud Boys wristband to defend the men who defend you. Several Metropolitan Republican Club members defended the decision to host the Proud Boys leader, and Alan Bialeck, a Club board member, told BuzzFeed News that he believes McInnes was merely expressing his right to free speech.

In October 2019, Donald Trump, Jr. posed for a photo with Proud Boy member Luke Rohlfing. It is unclear whether Trump Jr. was aware of Rohlfings political views, but the photo is part of a long-term Proud Boys strategy: posting alongside high-level Republicans in hopes of gaining legitimacy.

Both U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) and then-FloridaGov. Rick Scott have been photographed alongside Proud Boys, as have U.S. Reps Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25) and Devin Nunes (CA-22).

Sen. Cruz took his support a step farther, backing a non-binding resolution that would have defined anti-fascist activists as domestic terrorists after Enrique Tarrio launched a petition in favor of the bill. Even President Trump took notice and tweeted that Major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an ORGANIZATION OF TERROR.

The Proud Boys have also been embraced by a number of Fox News hosts; McInnes has appeared on Sean Hannitys Fox News program more than 24 times, and Tucker Carlson has appeared on McInnes show.

Racism:

While the Proud Boys often publicly denounce white supremacy, their activity has attracted white supremacists who share the groups opposition to progressive politics and proclivity for violence. The Proud Boys participated in the 2017 protests at the University of California-Berkeley, alongside a variety of white supremacist groups, including Rise Above Movement (R.A.M),Identity Evropa (now the American Identity Movement, or AIM) and theTraditionalist Worker Party (TWP).Similarly, members of Identity Evropa/AIM and TWP have joined Proud Boys and fellow right-wing group Patriot Prayer events in Portland. One man, wearing a patch for the Proud Boys-associated Fraternal Order of Alt Knights (FOAK), attended the October 2017 neo-Nazi White Lives Matter rally in Shelbyville, Tennessee. During the rally, he taunted the counter-protesters by destroying an antifa flag. Members of the Proud Boys also attended the violent August 2017 Unite the Right white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. They later circulated an image of themselves in a celebratory pose with a flag they captured from antifa. In October 2018, Proud Boys posed with members of the 211 Bootboys, an ultranationalist skinhead group, after McInnes speech at the Metropolitan Republican Club in New York City.

McInnes also has a long history with racism not confined to his repeated use of the N-word. He once called African-American actress Jada Pinkett Smith that monkey actress, and on an episode of the Gavin McInnes Show on Compound Media he said that Were the new n***ers. MAGA is the new black." McInnes declared on March 8, 2017, If you like Trump, you are a black man in 1945 trying to have water at a liberal fountain.

Misogyny:

The Proud Boys claim that they venerate the housewife, but McInnes has said that women are lazy and less ambitious than men, and that the pay gap between women and men is due to the fact a woman would rather go to [her] daughters piano recital than work. He has said that women are magical and that birth is a magical thing, and that the U.S. should have enforced monogamy because women are colostomy bags for various strangers semen when they have sex outside of marriage. He has described feminism as a cancer that makes women ugly. Joe Biggs, a frequent Proud Boys rally-planning partner, close friend of Enrique Tarrio and former InfoWars contributor, has a long history of explicit misogyny and support for rape.

Islamophobia:

Within the Proud Boys creed The West is the Best lies an implicit anti-Eastern bias common among right-wing extremists and white supremacists. McInnes has called the idea of a Muslim American president insane and compared it to electing a German president in 1942 in America. In a talk show on Fox News, he said there was a huge problem with inbreeding within the Muslim community, and alleged that they [Muslims] hate all non-Muslims. There are also close ties between the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio in particular, and virulent anti-Islam activist, Laura Loomer.

Anti-Semitism:

Although McInneshas decried racism and anti-Semitism, his past statements tell a different story.Hehas posted videos of himself giving the Nazi salute and repeatedly saying Heil Hitler. He was accused of anti-Semitism in March 2017 when he posted a video on Rebel Media called Ten Things I Hate about Jews, which was later retitled Ten Things I HateAboutIsrael.

McInnes has made a number of contradictory statements about Zionism. Prior to his spring 2017 trip to Israel, McInnes appeared in a Rebel Media video in which he asked people to crowdfund his trip to Israel so he could see what the country was like for himself; however, in that same video, he referenced both The Culture of Critique, by white supremacist Kevin MacDonald, and David Dukes book Jewish Supremacism. It was during this trip that McInnes appears to have had somewhat of an anti-Semitic awakening. On his show on March 8, 2017, McInnes muses that Jews were somehow responsible for World War II because the Treaty of Versailles, wasnt that disproportionately influenced by Jewish intellectuals? He also defended Holocaust deniers and neo-Nazis, saying, Like at one point, the tour guide goes, You know, and there are people who think that this didnt happen. And I felt myself defending the super-far-right Nazis, just because I was sick of so much brainwashing. AndI felt like going, Well, they never said it didnt happen. What theyre saying is that it was much less than six million and that they starved to death and they werent gassed. Then he finishes his train of thought with some thoughts about Jews obsession with the Holocaust. God, theyre so obsessed with the Holocaust. I dont know if its healthy to dwell.

At another point McInnes said: Jews: If you dont want to get people mad, dont be annoying.

Transphobia:

In 2014, McInnes wrote a controversial article for the blog Thought Catalog titled, Transphobia is Perfectly Natural, which included the passage, Havent you seen all the totally functional, happily married, normal trannies walking around? They arent all dead, you knowTheyre non-heteronormative. In fact, the only thing more normal than castrating yourself and taking tons of hormones to grow tits is chopping them off.

More:

Proud Boys - Anti-Defamation League

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) The FBI on Monday issued a serious warning that all 50 state capitals over the next few weeks are at risk for attacks that are similar to the insurrection that took place at the Capitol Building last week and the attacks could start as early as this weekend.

Before the pandemic and before the stop the steal misinformation campaign and movement, 22,000 people, many of them armed, showed up for Lobby Day last year in Richmond. It ended peacefully, then lawmakers got to work passing several gun control measures.

Organizer Philip Van Cleave of the Virginia Citizens Defense League says what he calls ordinary Americans will be back for Lobby Day 2021.

Number one, we dont want any gun control. Our number one effort will be to knock all gun control back. We dont need any gun control in Virginia, said Van Cleave.

VCDL failed to get a permit for a massive rally on the grounds, so this year the rally will be on a roll.

Its called rolling for the 2a that being the Second Amendment and we are having caravans of cars coming in from the north, the south, the east and west, and then 9 sub-caravans that will blend into one of the four major caravans, Van Cleave said.

The caravans will be led by big buses decked out with gun rights statements and things like that, and so those buses will be arriving in Richmond from 12 noon on the 18th, which is a week from Monday and up to 3 oclock. So, its about noon to four. The four different directions arrive at different times the north at noon, the east around 1, the south around two and west around three, he said.

But security experts say extremist groups will blend in for a potential repeat of the Capitol Hill insurrection that left five people dead.

When asked about the prospect of the Proud Boys showing up for the event, Van Cleave said all groups are welcome as long as they obey the law.

We have no control over [them attending] theres nothing I can do. Its still America. Everybodys free to walk the streets, said Van Cleave.

On Tuesday, Virginia State Police opened new Facebook and Twitter pages to keep citizens posted on security plans for Lobby Day 2021 and the 2021 session of the Virginia General Assembly.

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Pro-Gun Lobbyist: If the Proud Boys show up there's nothing we can do about it - WAVY.com