Daily Archives: March 23, 2021

Canada has designated the group Proud Boys as a terrorist entity, following a parliamentary resolution blaming the white supremacist group of organizing the January 6 riot at the US Capitol.

Proud Boys were among the thirteen groups designated on Wednesday by Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, under the category of ideologically motivated violent extremism.

No matter their ideological motivation, these groups are all hateful, intolerant and dangerous, Blair said.

The Proud Boys were listed alongside Atomwaffen Division, The Base, the Russian Imperial Movement, five Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) affiliates, three Al-Qaeda affiliates, and Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, an Islamist group operating in Indian-controlled Kashmir.

Blair insisted the designations were not a result of a political process, but one based on evidence, intelligence and the law.

The listing will help the Canadian authorities prosecute members of the designated group or anyone helping them, freeze their financial assets, as well as remove hateful online postings, Blair said.

The Canadian parliament voted unanimously last week to urge the terrorist designation of the Proud Boys, accusing it of domestic terrorism in relation to the January 6 unrest at the US Capitol.

The motion was introduced by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, whose party launched a petition as early as January 7, denouncing the Proud Boys as a right-wing extremist group that promotes white supremacist views.

Founded by Canadian media personality Gavin McInnes who has since disavowed the group the Proud Boys are currently led by Enrique Tarrio, who has repeatedly denied any connection to white supremacy and insisted the organization is neither fascist nor a hate group.

Tarrio, who identifies as Afro-Cuban, has openly denounced white supremacy, anti-Semitism, racism, fascism, communism and any other -ism that is prejudiced towards people because of their race, religion, culture, tone of skin.

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Proud Boy members Joseph Biggs (left) and Ethan Nordean, carrying a megaphone, walk toward the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. They were among four people indicted over conspiring to attack the Capitol. Carolyn Kaster/AP hide caption

Proud Boy members Joseph Biggs (left) and Ethan Nordean, carrying a megaphone, walk toward the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. They were among four people indicted over conspiring to attack the Capitol.

Four alleged leaders of the Proud Boys have been indicted in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol over allegedly conspiring, including in discussions on encrypted messaging apps, to obstruct the certification of President Biden's Electoral College victory.

The indictment unsealed Friday charges the defendants Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zach Rehl and Charles Donohoe with six counts, including obstruction of an official proceeding, obstruction of law enforcement, destruction of government property and conspiracy.

According to the indictment, Nordean is the president of his local Proud Boy chapter in Washington state; Biggs is a Proud Boy member and organizer in Florida; Rehl is the president of a local chapter of the group in Philadelphia; and Donohoe is the president of his local Proud Boy chapter in North Carolina. Nordean and Biggs had previously been charged by complaint.

The defendants are the latest with ties to the Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, to face conspiracy charges over their alleged roles in the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters.

This indictment, however, paints a more detailed picture of alleged discussions among members of the group in the runup to Jan. 6.

Two days before Congress met to certify the results, Washington, D.C., police arrested the Proud Boys chairman, Enrique Tarrio.

Prosecutors allege that after Tarrio's arrest, Donohoe expressed concern that encrypted communications that included Tarrio were now compromised and in the hands of police.

Donohoe then created a new channel, called "New MOSD," on an encrypted messaging app that included his co-defendants. Donohoe also, according to the indictment, "took steps to destroy or 'nuke' the earlier channel."

Donohoe posted a message that same day to the new channel in which he says: "Hey have been instructed an listen to me real good! There is no planning of any sorts. I need to be put into whatever new thing is created. Everything is compromised and we can be looking at Gang charges." He then added, "[S]top everything immediately" and "this comes from the top."

Later that day, an individual identified in court documents only as an unindicted co-conspirator posted: "[W]e had originally planned on breaking the guys into teams. Let's start divvying them up and getting baofeng channels picked out," referring to channels on handheld radios.

The following day, the indictment says, a new encrypted messaging channel called "Boots on the Ground" was set up for Proud Boys in Washington. Some 60 people were in the channel, including the four defendants, prosecutors say.

That evening, Biggs posted a message to the channel that said he was trying to get a sense of their numbers so they can "go over tomorrow's plan."

Rehl told the channel he was on his way to Washington and was bringing radios with him. He added that there was a person who would program the devices later that evening.

The unindicted co-conspirator allegedly posted a message telling the group not to wear the group's traditional black and yellow colors and to use good judgment "until further orders."

"Rufio is in charge, cops are the primary threat, don't get caught by them or BLM, don't get drunk until off the street," the unindicted co-conspirator wrote, according to court documents. (Nordean is also known as Rufio Panman.)

That same evening, Biggs allegedly posted a message that read: "We have a plan. I'm with Rufio."

The indictment alleges that the members of the encrypted messaging channels were told to meet at the Washington Monument at 10 a.m. on Jan. 6.

Proud Boys did show up at the monument at 10, including the defendants, according to the indictment. From there, the group marched to the Capitol with Nordean, Biggs and Rehl near or at the front of the crowd.

Once there, the indictment says, the defendants "charged toward the capitol by crossing over the barriers that had been violently disassembled and trampled by the crowd moments before."

Biggs, Nordean and Rehl all entered the Capitol, the indictment says.

The indictment alleges that the defendants then celebrated the events of Jan. 6 later on social media and in their encrypted chats.

The Proud Boys are not the only extremist group to see its members charged with conspiracy in connection with the Capitol riot. Members of the Oath Keepers, a far-right paramilitary group, are also facing conspiracy charges.

So far, more than 300 people have been charged in connection with the Capitol breach. Prosecutors say at least 100 more could still be charged.

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4 Proud Boys Charged With Conspiracy Over Jan. 6 Capitol Riot - NPR

Report: Overland Park residents considered calling in Proud Boys to BLM protests last summer

Some Overland Park residents told city officials they would consider calling a homeowners friend with connections to the white nationalist group the Proud Boys in order to protect their neighborhood ahead of a planned Black Lives Matter demonstration last summer.

Thats according to a Kansas City Star editorial, which reports the conversation took place in July 2020 between Overland Park law enforcement officials and the residents following a protest near Johnson County Community College.

Basically the conversation is, Listen, if you guys arent going to do your job enforcing the law, then were going to have to bring people in that will, Overland Park Police Chief Frank Donchez told the Stars editorial board. And then, the references made to the Proud Boys, and that they would bring in armed people to line the streets of their neighborhood to protect their homes. And I said, listen, thats a bad idea. Thats a really bad idea. We dont need armed confrontations.

Donchez said he took the homeowners seriously, but the Proud Boys did not show up at any demonstrations in Overland Park last year.

A subsequent protest in a nearby neighborhood on July 24 ended with four Black Lives Matter demonstrators arrested.

St. Joseph Catholic Church in Shawnee and the Community Blood Center are hosting a blood drive from 1 to 7 p.m. Monday, March 22, at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 11221 Johnson Drive.

Donors can make an appointment online at savealifenow.org and use Sponsor Code stjosephcatholic, or by contacting Virginia Wiedel, parish blood drive coordinator, at (913) 268-3874 or vwiedel63@gmail.com.

The Prairie Village City Council last week approved a design agreement with Affinis Corporation for the 2021 residential street program.

For $120,000, Affinis will create plans for the repaving of about 10 residential streets across the city. Streets on the docket include 82nd Street between Roe Avenue and Somerset Drive, as well as 71st Street between State Line Road and Belinder Avenue.

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Briefly Noted: Overland Park residents considered calling on Proud Boys for Black Lives Matter protest last year - Shawnee Mission Post

Two forms of pride were on display Saturday on opposite sides of Pioneer Boulevard in Sandy.

On the north side of the city's main street:a Pentecostal church rally "to celebrate the natural heterosexual family," ringed by the distinctive yellow collars of the Proud Boys. On the south sidewalk: the town's LGBTQ community, gathered with rainbow flags and face masks for a parking-lot party dubbed "Have a Gay Day!"

The March 20 events were noteworthy because they marked the first Oregon appearance of the Proud Boys, a far-right men's fraternity, since the storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

But the rainy afternoon also showcased the cultural tensions in Sandy, the Clackamas County gateway to Mount Hood skiing that for much of the past year has defined itself in opposition to Portland valuesfrom closing restaurants to prevent COVID spread to toppling statues in racial justice protests. Saturday's events, while peaceful, suggested Sandy, like many places in Oregon, is still arguing over what its own values will be.

That debate took a form that Portlanders will recognize: dueling rallies. Antagonistic protests have become a staple of Oregon politics over the past several years, sometimes devolving into brawls. The Sandy events remained entirely peaceful.

Pastor Russell Collier of the Rivers of Living Water United Pentecostal Church has been holding rallies in Sandy's Centennial Plaza every month this year.

In a public Facebook post advertising the March 20 rally, Collier described the event as a celebration of the natural heterosexual family, a stance against abortions, and a flag wave to celebrate First Amendment freedoms. "Why? The natural heterosexual family is the design of God for mankind and it is under attack spiritually, politically & socially," he wrote.

Holding an American flag and wearing a hooded sweatshirt emblazoned with the words "Living Faith in Jesus," he preached exactly that to his small congregation, and a contingent of a dozen Proud Boys who gathered on Centennial Plaza on that rainy day.

On the other side of the road, in a parking lot along a city park, about 100 people gathered to support Sandy's LBGTQ residents. Allison, an organizer of the "Have a Gay Day" event who did not want to disclose her last name, tells WW that news of Pastor Collier's events caused a lot of pain in Sandy. "The purpose of this event isn't a counterprotest. We want to positively and safely channel our energy by centering the rural community's LGBTQ voices."

The LGBTQ event featured appearancesand speechesby student leaders of Sandy High School, and ethnic musical performancesby local Indigenous communities. Vendors set up booths to provide rainbow-colored masks, hand sanitizers, and food for attendees.

Andrew Schaffer, a Sandy High School teacher, came to support his students in the event by taking photographs for them. "I was in drama when I went to high school, and many of my friends did not feel comfortable coming out," he says, "and when I returned to Sandy High School a decade later, there were posters welcoming students from all races and sexual orientations. That is something that wouldn't have beenOK back then."

Like many attending the event, Schaffer acknowledged the leaps in social progress made in recent years but felt that it was not yet enoughespecially in the rural communities of Oregon, as evidenced by the rally being held across the street.

Though the two events were not in view of one another, members from both sides stood on opposing sidewalks of Pioneer Boulevard, one of the two main thoroughfares that run through downtown Sandy.

"We don't care who you fuck! The problem is, y'all are commies!" a Proud Boy yelled, flashing the "OK" hand gesture, which the Proud Boys know their adversaries consider a sign of white supremacy. The two sides hurled insults across the road under the watch of Sandy police officers.

The arrival of the Proud Boys added a menacing element to what otherwise might have felt like a Saturday farmers market or other small-town event.

The Proud Boys are a group of self-described "Western chauvinists" who have been known to engage in violence against their political opposition in previous demonstrations, often brawling with left-wing or anti-fascist protesters on the streets of Portland and Salem during rallies since 2017.

Collier denied inviting the Proud Boys to his rally, but said they decided to attend themselves, and he appreciated their presence given the threats he said he'd received online as a result of planning this event. Collier said pro-LGBT banners were hung up on his church after a "We Are Still America" rally he held in January. That led him to believe that property damage to his church was a real possibility.

"I appreciate them standing for their First Amendment freedoms," Collier says.

Attendees of the LGBT event also voiced fears of violence occurring during and after the event. Sandy High students organized carpool rides to make sure everyone got home safe.

"This is for the LGBT people still in Sandy, to those who have left, and those in other rural communities," said Allison, the rally organizer, in a closing speech. "We love you for your whole selves."

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Small-Town Sandy Hosts a Public Standoff Over LGBTQ Rightsand the Proud Boys Resurface - Willamette Week

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal grand jury charged four leaders of the far-right Proud Boys with conspiring to block Congress from certifying U.S. President Joe Bidens election on the day of a deadly assault on the Capitol, according to court papers unsealed on Friday.

FILE PHOTO: Members of the far-right group Proud Boys make 'OK' hand gestures indicating "white power" as supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump gather in front of the U.S. Capitol Building to protest against the certification of the 2020 U.S. presidential election results by the U.S. Congress, in Washington, U.S., January 6, 2021. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart

The indictment alleges that Ethan Nordean of Washington, Joseph Biggs of Florida, Zachary Rehl of Pennsylvania and Charles Donohoe of North Carolina conspired to encourage members of the group to attend the Stop the Steal protest in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.

All four defendants in the superseding indictment released on Friday are the leaders or organizers of Proud Boys chapters in their respective states, the indictment says.

It says they worked to obtain paramilitary equipment used for the attack on the U.S. Capitol, dismantled metal barriers set up to protect the building, and communicated using handheld radios and encrypted messaging applications.

It also says the effort included soliciting donations through an online crowdfunding campaign to help the Proud Boys pay for protective gear, and an online fundraiser that generated more than $5,500 to help cover travel expenses to Washington.

More than 300 people have been charged in connection with the attack which left five people dead after a mob of then-President Donald Trumps supporters stormed the building in a failed bid to stop Congress from certifying Bidens victory.

Approximately 20 people charged to date are associated with the Proud Boys, and some of the others have been tied to anti-government militias such as the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters.

The indictment also alleges they made their intentions clear as far back as November, with Biggs declaring in a social media post on Nov. 5, threatening war if the election was stolen from Trump, who lost the vote.

Later that month, on Nov. 27, Nordean declared: We tried playing nice and by the rules, now you will deal with the monster you created.

On Jan. 5, 2021, a new encrypted messaging channel called Boots on the Ground was created, and more than 60 users participated, including the four defendants and a fifth unindicted co-conspirator, the indictment says.

It says that later that day, the unnamed co-conspirator sent a message telling everyone that Nordean, who also goes by the name Rufio Panman, would be a leader in the effort.

Rufio is in charge, cops are the primary threat, dont get caught by them or BLM... the unnamed person is quoted as saying. BLM stands for the Black Lives Matter movement.

The next day, the indictment alleges, they advanced towards the Capitol, knocked down metal barricades and eventually made their way into the Capitol.

Nordean and Biggs had previously been arrested on criminal complaints.

Earlier this month, however, the Justice Department lost its bid to keep Nordean detained pending trial, after a federal judge said the government had failed to substantiate allegations that Nordean was a ringleader of the attack.

Biggs was arrested back in January and released on a $25,000 bond.

Reporting by Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Howard Goller

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U.S. charges Proud Boys with conspiracy in Capitol assault that turned deadly - Reuters

A leader of the Philadelphia Proud Boys, the local chapter of the right-wing extremist group, was arrested Wednesday, weeks after photos of him inside the Capitol during the Jan. 6 riot had circulated.

Then Friday, the grand jury indictment against Zach Rehl, 35, from the Port Richmond section of the city, was unsealed.

In the document it explains how Rehl and three other Proud Boys leaders Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Charles Donohoe allegedly planned and participated in the insurrection in Washington, D.C., which was a failed attempt to stop the U.S. Congress from certifying President Joe Biden'sElectoral Collegewin over former President Donald Trump.

The six-count indictment (which can be read at the end of this article) details how Rehl and his co-defendants allegedly encouraged members to attend, raised money for travel and expenses, provided "paramilitary gear" to the rioters and coordinated the attack on the capitol.

According to investigators, the day after the riot, Rehl took to social media, posting:

"I'm proud as f*** what we accomplished yesterday, be we need to start planning and we are starting planning for a Biden presidency."

Rehl, who authorities said was among the rioters to enter the Capitol building, has led the Philly chapter of the Proud Boys since at least 2018. That year,Rehl organized the "We The People Rally," an event on Independence Mall with the Proud Boys said was intended ot "celebrate the Constitution."

ThenJuly 2020, the Inquirer reported was seen with other Proud Boys members socializing with Philly's police union FOP Lodge #5 outside the group's headquarters, after an event with former Vice President Mike Pence.

Prior to the details of Rehl's indictment being released, photos showed him at the Jan. 6 riot, both inside and outside of the building. Some images circulated on social media earlier this month, including one photo showing Rehl smoking a cigarette while standing in a senator's office with others during the riot.

FBI agents arrested Rehl at his home in Port Richmond on Friday morning, theNew York Timesreported.The leader of the Philly Proud Boys was indicted and has been charged with conspiracy, two counts of obstruction, destruction of government property, entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct in a restricted building.

Nordean, Biggs and Donohoe face the same charges.

The Proud Boys describes itself as "Western chauvinist" organization for men, but many also consider it a hate group. Its members have been known to promoteanti-Semitic, anti-Muslim and white nationalist rhetoric.

Last week, another member of Philly's Proud Boy's chapter, Kyle Boell, also was arrested and charged. In the days after the U.S. presidential election, Boell allegedly sent harassingand threatening messages to a woman over social media.

And on Monday, two men, who were not identified as members of the Proud Boys, were charged for their alleged roles in theU.S. Capitol insurrection for allegedly using bear spray against Capitol police, including Officer Brian Sicknick, the New Jersey native who was hospitalized and died after the Jan. 6 riot.

Proud Boys Indictment Zach Rehl by PhillyVoice.com on Scribd

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Leader of Proud Boys' Philly chapter among those charged with conspiring to plot Capitol riot - PhillyVoice.com

WASHINGTON The day before the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, members of the Proud Boys exchanged a series of planning messages across encrypted messaging channels, including one that warned that cops are the primary threat, according to newly unsealed charging documents.

The Justice Department on Friday released a new indictment against four Proud Boys leaders charged with conspiring to stop Congress from certifying the results of the 2020 election, as well as to interfere with police efforts to protect the Capitol. The indictment, which was returned by a grand jury under seal on March 10, lays out a host of new allegations about what members of the far right mens group were doing in the days and hours before a mob of hundreds of people mostly supporters of former president Donald Trump descended on the Capitol.

Prosecutors said that an unidentified person created a new encrypted messaging channel on Jan. 5 called Boots on the Ground for Proud Boys members to use while they were in Washington. More than 60 people participated in the channel, according to the indictment, including the four Proud Boys leaders charged in the latest conspiracy case: Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Charles Donohoe.

Later in the evening, Biggs allegedly sent a series of messages to the group about plans for Jan. 6, including, We are trying to avoid getting into any shit tonight. Tomorrows the day.

The indictment quotes messages allegedly sent by an unnamed person described by the government as an unindicted co-conspirator. This person sent a message on Jan. 5 saying that Nordean, who goes by the nickname Rufio Panman, was in charge. This person also messaged members about not wearing identifying colors the Proud Boys have identified themselves at previous demonstrations wearing black and yellow and telling them to be decentralized and use good judgment until further orders.

Rufio is in charge, cops are the primary threat, dont get caught by them or BLM, dont get drunk until off the street, the unnamed person messaged the Boots on the Ground channel and another encrypted channel, along with a radio frequency number, according to the indictment. BLM is an apparent reference to the Black Lives Matter movement; no one associated with Black Lives Matter has been charged in connection with the riot, and court filings havent included evidence that the movements supporters were involved.

More than 300 people have been charged with participating in the insurrection so far, and the government has said it expects to bring cases against at least 100 more. The US Attorneys office has charged a handful of conspiracy cases that involve members of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, a militia collective that focuses its recruitment efforts on current and former members of the military and law enforcement. In recent court filings, prosecutors have said that they continue to investigate conspiratorial activity leading up to Jan. 6.

Prosecutors allege in the latest indictment that the Proud Boys conspiracy included encouraging members to attend the Stop the Steal rally with Trump on Jan. 6; raising money online to finance equipment and travel to DC; bringing paramilitary gear and supplies; scheming to avoid detection by not wearing Proud Boys colors; using handheld radios and encrypted apps to communicate and coordinate the assault on the Capitol; and pushing past law enforcement and entering the Capitol.

The Department of Homeland Securitys Federal Protective Service had been monitoring the Proud Boys activities before Jan. 6, and officials sent updates about the groups presence at the Capitol on the day of the assault, BuzzFeed News previously reported. Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson has filed a civil rights lawsuit seeking to hold the Proud Boys liable for the riot, along with the Oath Keepers, Trump, and Trumps longtime lawyer and ally Rudy Giuliani.

The messages that prosecutors quoted in the latest indictment from the 48-hour period before the riot dont include specifics about what exactly Proud Boys leaders were planning for Jan. 6. The government linked their presence in Washington that day to messages members allegedly posted online following the election in November accusing Democrats of voter fraud and calling for war and firing squads.

We tried playing nice and by the rules, now you will deal with the monster you created, Nordean allegedly posted online on Nov. 27, according to charging documents. The spirit of 1776 has resurfaced and has created groups like the Proudboys and we will not be extinguished. We will grow like the flame that fuels us and spread like the love that guides us. We are unstoppable, unrelenting and now unforgiving. Good luck to all you traitors of this country we so deeply love youre going to need it.

On Jan. 4, Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio was arrested in Washington, DC, and charged with burning a Black Lives Matter banner during December protests. Donohoe, the president of a local Proud Boys chapter in North Carolina, had allegedly expressed concern about the groups internal communications being compromised and took steps to delete a previous channel they had used, according to the indictment.

Hey have been instructed and listen to me real good! There is no planning of any sorts. I need to be put into whatever new thing is created. Everything is compromised and we can be looking at Gang charges, Donohoe allegedly posted in several channels, along with Stop everything immediately and This comes from the top.

On the evening of Jan. 4, the unnamed, unindicted co-conspirator sent a message on a new encrypted channel that Donohoe allegedly created about breaking the guys into teams and picking out radio communications channels.

Donohoe, whose lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment, was arrested on March 17 and will remain in jail pending a pretrial detention hearing set for March 24 in federal court in North Carolina.

Nordean, described by the government as a Proud Boys elder and president of his local chapter in Washington State, and Biggs, a Proud Boys organizer who lives in Florida, had previously been charged and arrested separately for their alleged involvement in the Capitol riot. Nordean earlier this week filed a motion challenging the governments allegation that he aided and abetted the destruction of property at the Capitol, including the breaking of a window, by leading other rioters. Nordeans lawyers argued the government should be ordered to present specific claims about his role in property destruction that day, known as a bill of particulars.

Lawyers for Nordean and Biggs declined to comment about the new indictment. Judges agreed to allow both men to return home while their cases are pending; the government had unsuccessfully argued to keep Nordean in jail.

The fourth defendant, Zachary Rehl, is president of the Proud Boys chapter in Philadelphia, according to court filings. The government alleged in the indictment that after Jan. 6, he and his co-defendants sent messages and posted on social media platforms celebrating the insurrection.

Im proud as fuck what we accomplished yesterday, but we need to start planning and we are starting planning, for a Biden presidency, Rehl allegedly wrote.

Rehl made his first court appearance in federal court in Philadelphia on Friday and a judge scheduled a detention hearing for March 23, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Proud Boys Members Allegedly Warned That Cops Were The Primary Threat The Night Before The Capitol Insurrection - BuzzFeed News