Category Archives: Proud Boys

WASHINGTON F.B.I. agents have arrested two organizers for the Proud Boys in Philadelphia and North Carolina, and prosecutors filed new charges against two other prominent members of the far-right group in Florida and Washington State as federal authorities continued their crackdown on its leadership ranks, three law enforcement officials said on Wednesday.

With the new conspiracy indictment, prosecutors have now brought charges against a total of 13 people identified in court papers as members of the Proud Boys. Federal investigators have described the group, which appeared in force in Washington on Jan. 6, as one of the chief instigators of the riot at the Capitol that left five people dead, including a Capitol Police officer.

In the indictment, prosecutors accused Charles Donohoe, a Proud Boys leader from North Carolina, and Zach Rehl, the president of the groups chapter in Philadelphia, of conspiring to interfere with law enforcement officers at the Capitol and obstruct the certification of President Bidens electoral victory. Two other high-ranking Proud Boys who were already facing similar charges Ethan Nordean of Auburn, Wash., and Joseph Biggs of Ormond Beach, Fla. were also implicated as part of the conspiracy.

The F.B.I. declined to comment.

The Proud Boys, who emerged in recent years as some of former President Donald J. Trumps most vocal and violent supporters, describe themselves as Western chauvinists and have a history of bloody street fights with left-wing antifascist activists. Those clashes intensified last year during the nationwide protests stemming from the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police in Minneapolis. During a presidential debate in September, Mr. Trump refused to disavow the Proud Boys, telling them instead in a widely watched moment to stand back and stand by.

While the Proud Boys had largely managed to avoid federal scrutiny, that changed after the Jan. 6 riot. The F.B.I. began aggressively investigating members of the group involved in the attack on the Capitol. Agents have searched homes across the country, scoured social media accounts and delved into the private communications of Proud Boys leaders. Members of the group have been charged in four conspiracy cases, accused of crimes including threatening a federal officer and the destruction of government property.

The new conspiracy case was the latest product of the efforts to prosecute the Proud Boys. Investigators have said that Mr. Biggs, 37, and Mr. Nordean, 30, equipped with radios and a bullhorn, led a mob of about 100 members and supporters of the group that marched through the streets of Washington on Jan. 6 chanting slogans and ultimately breached security barriers at the Capitol. Some Proud Boys were among the first rioters to shatter windows and enter the building, confronting police officers inside.

Mr. Biggs, a former Army sergeant, was released from custody pending trial shortly after his arrest in January, and his case has been in a kind of legal holding pattern for weeks. Mr. Nordean was released from custody on March 3 after the chief judge of the Federal District Court in Washington agreed with his lawyers that the evidence that he was responsible for aiding and abetting the violence and property destruction committed by his fellow Proud Boys at the Capitol was at least at that point relatively weak.

Mr. Rehl, 35, has styled himself as one of the Proud Boys most prominent representatives on the East Coast and has led the groups Philadelphia chapter since at least 2018, according to federal law enforcement officials. This summer, he and other Proud Boys were spotted socializing with local police officers outside a Philadelphia police union lodge.

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Proud Boys Leaders in Four States Are Charged in Capitol ...

The Proud Boys actions belie their disavowals of bigotry: Rank-and-file Proud Boys and leaders regularly spoutwhite nationalistmemes and maintain affiliations with known extremists. They are known foranti-Muslimand misogynistic rhetoric. Proud Boys have appeared alongside otherhate groupsat extremist gatherings such as the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Former Proud Boys memberJason Kessler helped organize that event, which brought together a broad coalition of extremists including Neo-Nazis, antisemites and militias. Kessler was expelled from the group after the violence and near-universal condemnation of Charlottesville rallygoers.

Other hardcore members of the alt-right have argued that the Western chauvinist label is just a PR cuck term McInnes crafted to gain mainstream acceptance. Lets not bullshit, Brian Brathovd, aka Caerulus Rex, told his co-hosts on The Daily Shoah, an antisemitic podcast popular with the alt-right. If the Proud Boys were pressed on the issue, I guarantee you that like 90% of them would tell you something along the lines of Hitler was right. Gas the Jews.

White nationalists and neo-Nazis themselves have cited McInnes as a gateway to the alt-right. On The Southern AF Podcast, one former Proud Boy who went on to embrace white nationalism said he was originally drawn to the group because of its pro-white sentiment. All his jokes, all his content when I first started listening to him, he said of McInnes, was all freakin alt-right stuff and racial issues and funny, comedic ways to like try to point out that white civilization has been superior. Many Proud Boys like him have moved on to more extreme groups and ideologies.

McInnes plays a duplicitous rhetorical game: claiming to reject white nationalism while espousing a laundered version of popular white nationalist tropes. He has ties to the racist right and has contributed to such hate sites asVDare.comandAmerican Renaissance, which publish the work of white supremacists and so-called race realists. McInnes has himself said it is fair to call him Islamophobic. He announced the founding of the Proud Boys in the far-right Takis Magazine.

The Proud Boys stage frequent rallies around the country. Many have descended into violent street riots where members openly brawl with counterprotesters. Indeed, as early as summer 2018, a document circulated by Washington state law enforcement described the groups involvement in a series of violent incidents in Oregon and Washington, as well as its involvement in Unite the Right. This report came to light a mere two months before 10 members were charged with assault afteran attackon antifascist activists in New York City in October 2018.

Through 2019 and 2020, the Proud Boys were one of a handful of far-right groups instrumental in instigating violence and civil unrest in the Pacific Northwest. Likewise, a series of leaked chats showed Proud Boys and extremists associated with other far-right groups discussing how and when to use violence against leftist activists while planning rallies in the northeast in early-to-mid 2019.

The group became a household name after a mention at the Sept. 29, 2020, presidential debate.

In early February 2021, the Canadian government designated the Proud Boys as a terrorist entity, citing the role the group played in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

All the heroes of BLM and Antifa are degenerate criminal lowlifes or pedophile rapists. I dont lose any sleep when they are justly removed from society. A Telegram channel associated with the Proud Boys, Sept. 22, 2020

The true minority in this world ARE whites. White children are less than 3% of the worlds [sic] population. I think since white majority countries are on a pathway to extinction we should correctly refer to non whites by their true names. Worldwide majority. A Telegram channel associated with the Proud Boys, Sept. 7, 2020

All I want to do is smash commies too. Actually Im lying Im way past just hitting them. When the time comes I will stop at nothing to fully eradicate them all. Anthony Mastrostefano, in a private chat associated with the Proud Boys, spring 2019

I promise you this, Ted Wheeler: Im coming for you, you little punk. And all your antifa bastards. Im coming for you f-----s, too. Proud Boy and Patriot Prayer collaborator Reggie Axtell, in a video posted on his Facebook, January 2019

The time is now. Were gonna have to get some swollen fists. Were gonna have to get some swollen fists. Were gonna have to fight, alright? Gabe Silva, in a Facebook video, June 2018

I just realized something. Cory Booker is kind of like Sambo. Hes kind of shucking and jiving for the white man. Cory Booker grew up rich in an all-white suburb. Hes basically a white guy. His parents were very wealthy executives at IBM. But he wants to be a Black dude, so he pretends that hes down with the brothers and he acts outraged about racism all the time for white people. That gets him votes from whites. Gavin McInnes, Get Off My Lawn,Jan. 17, 2018

Im not a fan of Islam. I think its fair to call me Islamophobic. Gavin McInnes, NBC interview, Nov. 2, 2017

I am not afraid to speak out about the atrocities that whites and people of European descent face not only here in this country but in Western nations across the world. The war against whites, and Europeans and Western society is very real and its time we all started talking about it and stopped worrying about political correctness and optics. Kyle Chapman, who formed the Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights, a paramilitary wing of the Proud Boys, Unite America First Peace Rally, Sacramento, California, July 8, 2017

Maybe the reason Im sexist is because women are dumb. No, Im just kidding, ladies. But you do tend to not thrive in certain areas like writing. Gavin McInnes, The Gavin McInnes Show, June 28, 2017

Put something on the table! Give us a reason to accept you, because you know what? Sharia law aint it. Raping women aint it. Cutting off clits aint it. Throwing gay people off roofs aint it. You are a disgrace. Pawl Bazile, an editor at Proud Boy Magazine, on Muslims and why he is a Western chauvinist, March Against Sharia rally, New York City, June 10, 2017

Why dont we take back Bethlehem? Why dont we take back Northern Iraq? Why dont we start our own Crusades? Thats what the Crusades were. They werent just someone picking on Muslims for no reason they were a reaction to Muslim tyranny. We finally fought back. Gavin McInnes, The Gavin McInnes Show, March 8, 2017

Palestinians are stupid. Muslims are stupid. And the only thing they really respect is violence and being tough. Gavin McInnes, The Gavin McInnes Show, March 8, 2017

We brought roads and infrastructure to India and they are still using them as toilets. Our criminals built nice roads in Australia but aboriginals keep using them as a bed. The next time someone bitches about colonization, the correct response is Youre welcome. Gavin McInnes, 10 Things I Like About White Guys, Takis Magazine, March 2, 2017

The white liberal ethos tells us Blacks arent at MIT because of racism. They say Blacks dominate the prison population for the same reason. They insist America is a racist hellhole where people of color have no future. This does way more damage to Black youth than the KKK. When you strip people of culpability and tell them the odds are stacked against them, they dont feel like trying. White liberals make this worse by then using affirmative action to correct societys mistakes. When Blacks are forced into schools they arent qualified for they have no choice but to drop out. Instead of going back a step to a school they can handle, they tend to give up on higher education entirely. Thanks to the Marxist myth of ubiquitous equality, this mismatch leaves Blacks less educated than they would have been had they been left to their own devices. Gavin McInnes, America in 2034, American Renaissance, June 17, 2014

Canadian Gavin McInnes has flaunted his contempt for PC culture for decades. Before entering the fray of right-wing politics, McInnes co-foundedVICE magazine, a publication that epitomized hipster culture in the late 1990s and 2000s. While the magazine tended to dabble in provocative and taboo topics generally under a veneer of irony McInnes took pleasure in stepping over the line. In 2002, for instance, when aNew York Pressreporter asked McInneswhat he thought the residents of New Yorks Williamsburg neighborhood, he responded, Well, at least theyre not fucking n-----s or Puerto Ricans. At least theyre white.

While presenting his observation as a joke and revenue-generating ruse (incendiary political statements garnered endless publicity for us, helater told Gawker), its a sentiment McInnes has expressed repeatedly. I love being white and I think its something to be very proud of, hetoldTheNew York Timesa year later, revealing an ideology that would become the foundation of the Proud Boys. I dont want our culture diluted. We need to close the borders now and let everyone assimilate to a Western, white, English-speaking way of life. McInnes also began writing for VDARE.com, a white nationalist hate site. In a 2005 article, he railed against Canadian multiculturalism and lamented that Jared Taylor, the editor of the white nationalist outlet American Renaissance, had not been invited to speak at the University of Ottawa. In 2016, McInnes would welcome Taylor onto his own show.

Citing creative differences, McInnesleftVICEin 2008 to pursue other media projects. But his relationship with mainstream outlets began to erode in 2014 as he swapped irony for earnestness. As part of an American Renaissance series featuring race-realist commentators on the future of American race relations, McInnes offeredhis predictions alongside fellow contributors such as John Derbyshire, Paul Gottfried, Richard Spencer and Jared Taylor. McInnes claimed he didnt harbor hate for minorities. He did, however, write that he despised white liberals who subscribed to a Marxist myth of ubiquitous equality and who refused to acknowledge innate disparities between people of different races. He supported this notion using the long-discredited work of white nationalist social scientist Charles Murray. McInnes insisted he held out hope for the future of American race relations: When were all forced to live side by side, well quickly realize were incompatible, and agree to disagree. The blind utopiansatTheNew York Timeswill be crushed and the rest of us realists will be dancing in the streets.

Only months later, McInnes published an article titled Transphobia is Perfectly Natural that prompted his then-employer, the ad agency Rooster, toindefinitely sever tieswith him. Were all transphobic,he wrotein the piece, published on the website Thought Catalog. We see there are no old trannies. They die of drug overdoses and suicide way before theyre 40 and nobody notices because nobody knows them. They are mentally ill gays who need help, and that doesnt include being maimed by physicians. McInnes has also referred to transgender people as gender n-----s and stupid lunatics.

With former business partners turning him away, McInnes formed a partnership with the Canadian far-right video channel Rebel Media in spring 2015. A few months later he launched The Gavin McInnes Show with Compound Media. On both platforms, he regularly chatted with right-wing guests. (His first show featured the far-right provocateur and former Breitbart reporter Milo Yiannopoulos.) He carved out an ideological space for frustrated young men to rally around: Western culture is superior to all others, racism is a myth created by guilty white liberals, Islam is a culture of violence, andfeminismis about de-masculinizing men, he told his audience. A group of like-minded men at Compound Media who bonded over their shared frustration with PC culture began to meet in New York City dive bars. From these gatherings, the Proud Boys were born, and McInnes officially introduced the group inTakis Magazinein September 2016.

There are four degrees of membership within the Proud Boys, and to become a first degree in the pro-West fraternal organization a prospective member simply has to declare, I am a Western chauvinist, and I refuse to apologize for creating the modern world. To enter the second degree, a Proud Boy has to endure a beating until they can yell out the names of five breakfast cereals (in order to demonstrate adrenaline control). Those who enter the third degree have demonstrated their commitment by getting a Proud Boys tattoo. Any man no matter his race or sexual orientation can join the fraternal organization as long as they recognize that white men are not the problem. The fourth is reserved for those who have gotten in a fight for the cause. All members are banned from watching pornography or masturbating more than once a month because, in theory, it will leave them more inclined to go out and meet women.

Women have their own group, theProud Boys Girls, who like all women in the eyes of the Proud Boys are defined by their relationship to men. Members of the womens contingent, an informal organization, are overwhelmingly the wives and girlfriends of Proud Boys.

Proud Boys believe women are happier when they stay home and have children. Women are less ambitious than men, McInnes told a host on Fox News in 2015. This is sort of Gods way this is natures way of saying women should be at home with the kids. Just as he believes women are ill-suited for the workplace, McInnes has argued that the world of politics is best left to men. When I hear women talk about politics and so often put emotional claptrap over policy, he tweeted in early 2017, I think, Who let these bitches vote?

Members of the Proud Boys are identifiable by their yellow-trimmed, black knockoff Fred Perry polos and tongue-in-cheek catchphrase Uhuru! a Swahili word they picked up from aYouTube videoin which an activist talks to white people about reparations. Their name comes from theAladdinsong Proud of Your Boy. They adhere to alist of libertarian-leaning principles, including opposition to the drug war, racial guilt and political correctness, and support for small government, closed borders and venerating the housewife.

In September 2020, Fred Perry announced it was pulling the black and yellow polo shirt preferred by the Proud Boys, saying it would remain off the market until were satisfied that its association with the Proud Boys has ended.

The oddball humor that tinges Proud Boys culture, which creates a set of references incomprehensible to those on the outside, has attracted a surprisingly large number of men. They are vehement supporters of President Donald Trump, whose 2016 election preceded an increase in Proud Boys membership. The websiteRewire estimated that by August 2017there were roughly 6,000 members and, by the end of the year, the Proud Boys official Facebook and Twitter pages each had over 20,000 followers.

Red Make America Great Again hats are nearly as prominent at Proud Boys gatherings as their black and yellow polos. In fact, one of their first public outings was at apro-Trump art show called #DaddyWillSaveUS where McInnes displayed photos of himself posing as a white slave. Its a favorite mythical reference of his as well asneo-Nazis and white nationalists. Oneepisode of his Rebel Media showcentered on the notion that thehistory of slavery is rife with white slaves.

Group meetings, according to McInnes, usually consist of drinking, fighting, and reading aloud from Pat Buchanans Death of the West, an anti-immigrant treatise.

For McInnes and the Proud Boys, much like Buchanan, pro-Westernism is indistinguishable from outright opposition to Islam. McInness Rebel Media videos feature such titles as Donald Trumps Muslim ban is exactly what we need right now, 10 examples of the Koran being violent, and Islam isnt dope. Its sexist. Hes also hosted Pamela Geller one of the most prominent figures in todays anti-Muslim movement on Get Off My Lawn, his show that was broadcast on the conservative online media platform CRTV. People here in America say, Muslims are what? One or two percent of the population? Theres never gonna be sharia law here, he said during the interview, assuring viewers that Britain, where Muslims are raping children regularly and where we have a woman raped several times in one night, is the canary in the coalmine. In aninterview with NBC, McInnes admitted Im not a fan of Islam. I think its fair to call me Islamophobic.

Proud Boys quickly became a staple at anti-Muslim and other far-right demonstrations. Rank-and-file memberswere in attendanceat the anti-Muslim hate group ACT for Americas March Against Sharia rallies held in 28 cities around the country on June 10, 2017. At the New York City event, local Proud Boy Pawl Bazile gave a speech contrasting his own Italian forebears with Muslim immigrants. Give us a reason to accept you, he yelled, because you know what? Sharia law aint it. Raping women aint it. Cutting off clits aint it. Throwing gay people off roofs aint it. You are a disgrace. He also referred to Burkas as a ghost costume.

Only weeks after the rally, the New York chapter gathered for an event they called Islamberg Exposed: Ride for Homeland Security. The Proud Boys, along with radical antigovernment groups including theOath Keepers, caravanned through the small, upstate New York African-American Muslim community of Islamberg,which they described asa suspected grounds for recruiting, housing, and training terrorists, as well as a place away from the public eye to stock pile weapons. In afilm Bazile madeof the ride through, one of the participants claimed to have conducted night-vision reconnaissance in the town, and allegedly witnessed breaking-neck practicing and hand-to-hand combat training. Participants featured in the film, including Lisa Joseph from ACT for America, referred to the community as a no-go zone: fictitious Muslim neighborhoods that are so dangerous even the police refuse to enter. The outing turned up nothing.

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.

The Proud Boys do their best to muddy right-wing taxonomies. Despite the pains theyve taken to distance themselves from open white nationalists and antisemites, Proud Boys have been present at high-profile alt-right events, including the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. Just dont fucking wear your Fred Perry, or decide to belt: Proud of Your Boy, McInnes warned followers before the event. If you decide to rub elbows with those people [while] in colors, you very well could find yourself being disavowed.

But they did show up, which McInnes evidently expected. In the first episode of his Compound Media show after the August rally, McInnes said he had been just combing through all the media reports going, Dont say Proud Boys, dont say Proud Boys, dont say Proud Boys, hoping the lunatic Nazi who killed Heather Heyer wasnt a member of his group. He wasnt, but the white nationalist Jason Kessler who has been filmed undergoing his second-degree Proud Boy initiation was the rallys principal organizer.

Less than two months earlier, Kessler had been a guest on The Gavin McInnes Show, where he promoted Unite the Right and, in a chummy interview, laid out the ideological overlap he and McInnes shared: Whats really under attack is if you say, I want to stand up for white people. I want to stand up for Western civilization. I want to stand up for men. I want to stand up for Christians, to which McInnes added other examples: Im against immigration. Im against jihadis. Im against radical Islam.

After Charlottesville, in a move to protect the fratty and innocuous Proud Boys brand hes worked so hard to cultivate, McInnes ejected Kessler from the organization and insisted he had neverreallybeen a Proud Boy. Im suspicious of you, coming to Proud Boys meetings saying youre not alt-right and I think you were there to try to recruit guys, McInnes told Kessler when they spoke on his show two days after the rally. It was only after the violence in Charlottesville, whenany doubts about the true nature of the movementwere stripped away, that McInnesattempted to earnestly distancethe 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.

Although McInnes attempted to distance his organization from Charlottesville, violence is firmly entrenched in Proud Boy dogma. McInnes was filmed punching a counterprotester outside the D.C.-based, far-right gathering Deploraball in January 2017. Then, 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 Proud Boys added the fourth degree to their membership hierarchy in early 2017. You get beat up, kick the crap out of an antifa, McInnes explained toMetro. Though he claimed in the interview he was ready to get violent and beat the f--k out of everybody, he later backtracked in aProud Boy Magazine piece, assuring the public the fraternal group was opposed to senseless violence. We dont start fights, we finish them, McInnes wrote.

Around the same time, Proud Boys member Kyle Chapman announced he was forming a new tactical defense arm of the Proud Boys with McInnes full approval called the Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights (FOAK). The paramilitary wing positioned itself as a defensive organization formed to protect right-wing activists at political demonstrations.

Chapman, who has anextensive criminal history, openly encouraged fellow Proud Boys and others on the far right to sacrifice for their beliefs. Youre maybe gonna have to do some time in jail and you very may well have to die. Im willing to die. Are you guys willing to die? Chapman first gained the attention of the alt-right when he was photographed hitting a counterprotester over the head with a stick at a March 4, 2017, pro-Trump rally in Berkeley, California. His action earned him the nickname Based Stick Man.

Chapman quickly became one of the most recognizable faces of the Proud Boys on the West Coast. The group continued to attend a series of rallies (dubbed The Battle of Berkeley in far-right circles) throughout spring 2017, bringing them together with white nationalists and antigovernment extremists. At a pro-Trump rally on April 15, Proud Boys distributed recruitment fliers while other attendees including members of white nationalist groups such as Identity Evropa and the Rise Above Movement carried antisemitic signs and performed Nazi salutes.

Augustus Sol Invictus born Austin Mitchell Gillespie also exemplifies the permeable barrier between the Proud Boys and outright white nationalists. Invictus is an attorney and one-time Senate candidate whom Chapman named his second-in-command in FOAK. Invictus ideology is a bizarre mix: in addition to some mainstream libertarian beliefs, he claims Nazi and antisemitic thinkers (from the likes of Carl Schmitt and Francis Parker Yockey) as his chief intellectual influences. He identifies as a pagan and is an admitted Holocaust denier. Indeed, as Invictus told Hatewatch in 2017, Do I believe that 6 million Jews were killed by the evil Hitler? Is that what youre asking? Okay, then I am still waiting to see those facts.

McInnes welcomed Invictus onto his June 28, 2017, show, where the conversation repeatedly dipped into Invictuss interest in armed revolution. He explained that hed fallen out with fellow attorneys who took offense at his suggestions that maybe lawyers should be hanged in a revolution and if people get in our way, shoot them. With regard to journalists, Invictus continued, Ill tell them, Youre the first ones that are gonna be hanging from a lamppost in the event of revolution.

Like other former Proud Boys, Invictus eventually left the group for more hard-core parts of the white nationalist movement. Two months after his interview with McInnes, Invictus severed his ties with FOAK and, by implication, the Proud Boys, explaining in a Facebook video that he was frustrated with Chapmans lack of professionalism. With its leadership bogged down by infighting and Chapmans legal troubles mounting, FOAK dissolved in the early months of 2018.

Theres no shortage of current members with violent histories. Brien James, the state representative for the Indiana Proud Boys and a onetime member of FOAK, gained his skinhead credentials in the Outlaw Hammerskins before becoming one of the founding members of the Vinlanders Social Club, a racist gang linked to at least nine murders nationwide. He now leads American Guard, which he describes as a constitutional nationalist organization, but which has a number of easy-to-spot racists. Rick Hervey, the vice president of the Colorado chapter, appears in a Facebook photo wearing a shirt bearing the white supremacist 14 Words slogan, and John Camden, the New Hampshire chapter vice president, has a neo-Nazi Wolfsangel tattooed on his neck. James roles in the Proud Boys and American Guard point to a larger overlap in membership between the two groups, whose members appeared at a number of the same events during summer and fall 2018.

Invictus, too, has faced years of allegations of domestic abuse, as Hatewatch first reported in July 2017. He was arrested on Dec. 30, 2019, on charges of kidnapping, domestic violence and possession of a weapon during a crime of violence. Though Invictus was briefly released on bail in April 2020, he was arrested again after reportedly harassing his ex-wife upon his release from prison after health concerns raised by his lawyers related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unite the Right marred the image of the alt-right and ensnared the groups and individuals responsible in lawsuits. As they receded back to the internet to focus on building their movement through content creation, the Proud Boys stepped in to become the face of far-right marches and rallies. Their generic, pro-America messaging allowed the Proud Boys to succeed where the alt-right had failed: operating under the banner of free speech and playing up the idea of a violent left-wing menace, they could do battle in the streets without the same degree of scrutiny that the public and law enforcement placed on groups who presented their mission in explicitly racial terms.

The Proud Boys rally activity in 2018 centered in the liberal stronghold of Portland, Oregon, alongside the far-right group Patriot Prayer. Led by onetime U.S. Senate candidate Joey Gibson, Patriot Prayer has been the driving force behind right-wing organizing in Washington and Oregon since late 2016. Its a big-tent organization that attracts a wide range of figures from the far right, including militia members and white nationalists (who have continued to show up at events even though Gibson denounced white supremacy at a rally in August 2017). The object of their rallies is almost always the same: to create combustible situations where violence is likely and, once ignited, can be used to fuel the narrative of right-wing victimization.

The rhetoric surrounding the Pacific Northwest rallies made clear that the Proud Boys see antifa as their foremost enemies. While antifa is, in reality, a small and loosely organized antifascist collective that utilizes militant tactics to counter the influence of far-right activists in their communities, the Proud Boys have turned them into a boogeyman that represents the whole of leftist politics. They denounce anyone they disagree with politically as a member of antifa, with McInnes going so far as to describe the group as a paramilitary arm of the Democratic Party. Flattening any distinctions between militant activists and mainstream Democratic politicians is a rhetorical trick aimed not only at delegitimizing all of the political left but also justifying their own violent actions against anyone they consider a political enemy.

The Proud Boys/Patriot Prayer campaign to counter liberal influence in Portland built steadily throughout summer 2018, with violent clashes between the far-right organizers and antifascist encouraging larger crowds at subsequent rallies. During a June 3 march, after the Proud Boy Tusitala Tiny Toese declared that they were ready for whatever kind of fight, another member of the group, Donovan Flippo, teamed up with Allen Pucket of the hate group the Hell Shaking Street Preachers to attack a man outside of a parking garage.

With tensions high, members of the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer vowed to return for another rally. The stench-covered and liberal occupied streets of Portland will be CLEANSED, a post by a Patriot Prayer Facebook account declared. The June 30 Freedom Rally descended into a riot, with Proud Boys and their political opponents openly brawling in the streets amidst explosions of flash-bang devices and pepper spray.

Violence is the Proud Boys most effective recruiting tool, and the June 30 rally provided arguably the groups biggest promotional boost. On the streets of downtown Portland, Proud Boy Ethan Rufio Panman Nordean was caught on camera knocking out an antifascist protester in a single punch, instantly sparking a celebrated meme within the far right. Applause even came from the hosts of the neo-Nazi podcast The Daily Shoah. Its so much fun to see that guy get fucking clocked, host Mike Peinovich said after watching the footage from Portland.

After Nordeans punch went viral, membership in private Proud Boys vetting pages on Facebook spiked nearly 70% over the course of a month. Seeing that soy boy antifa scum get knocked the fuck out has been the highlight of my year. Ive [sic] watched it over and over, a new recruit wrote in one of the vetting pages.

The far-right groups rode the momentum to the Gibson for Senate Freedom March on Aug. 4, which drew the largest crowds of the summer. The lead-up to the event was dominated by talk of martyrdom and blatant threats. Guess what antifa? the Sacramento Proud Boy Gabe Silva asked in a video posted to Facebook, We are pissed off Americans. Were coming for you. Were not playing games no more. You like what we served up? We got more where thats coming from.

The Proud Boys clearly showed up looking for a fight: Many were decked out in padding and helmets, with a large group wearing shirts that read, Pinochet Did Nothing Wrong! When a journalist asked Toese about this, mentioning that the Chilean dictator had killed tens of thousands of people, the Proud Boy responded, Arent they all communists? The Proud Boys have increasingly embraced Pinochet as a sort of mascot. Helicopter ride memes and the phrase Make Rotary Aircraft Great Again references to the dictators practice of dropping political enemies from helicopters are common on Proud Boys social media posts. At one point, the group also sold merchandise and gear featuring a crest associated with Pinochet.

The groups momentum began to slow after the August rally the police successfully kept both sides apart leaving the Proud Boys without any violence to avenge and thus no reason to schedule another rally.

But that didnt mean the violence stopped. In May, Flippo and Toese reportedly grabbed a Black teenager in a mall parking lot in Vancouver, Washington, after he yelled an obscenity about Trump. The next month, the same two Proud Boys drove through northeast Portland shouting, Build the Wall! When a pedestrian began to argue with them, Flippo and Toese got out of the truck and allegedly punched the man, splitting his lip open. In Kentucky, Proud Boys reportedly pepper-sprayed members of a leftist organization who were sitting on a bar patio.

Proud Boys have a history of menacing and threatening their political foes. Proud Boy Kenneth Lizardo reportedly showed up at the home of comedian Vic Berger in May 2018 in response to videos he had made mocking McInnes, including one that shows the Proud Boys founder repeatedly using a racial slur.

Members of the group have shown up to left-leaning political gatherings to harass attendees. A group of Proud Boys came to the 2019 Womens March in Orlando, Florida, to taunt people protesting against the policies of the Trump administration, carrying a sign that read, Feminism is cancer, and yelling over demonstrators before police ticketed them for trespassing. Only days later in Portland, where Proud Boys announced they would be roving the streets to demask antifascists, a member threatened Ted Wheeler, the Portland mayor whom right-wing activists regularly accuse of collaborating with leftist organizers. Your days are fucking numbered, Proud Boy and Patriot Prayer collaborator Reggie Axtell said in a comment directed at the mayor. Im coming for you, you little punk. And all your little antifa bastards. Im coming for you fuckers, too.

Though McInnes constantly insists that references to violence are part of a comedic act, the joke is lost on rank-and-file Proud Boys who have wholeheartedly embraced violence as a legitimate way to silence their political enemies.

That was made clear the night of Oct. 12, 2018, when a large group of Proud Boys attacked leftist protesters after McInnes gave a speech at New York Citys Metropolitan Republican Club. The Proud Boys founder was there to commemorate the 1960 televised assassination of the leader of the Japanese Socialist Party at the hands of a young ultranationalist, Otoya Yamaguchin, whom McInnes later called a fucking badass. After reenacting the socialist leaders murder, McInnes warned the audience not to let his ideology take root in America. Instead, they should embrace his own backward-looking philosophy: We need to get back to the era where you could insult someones religion, you could insult their ethnicity, you could insult everything about them. McInnes instructed those who failed to accept his bigotry to get the fuck off the road.

After the event ended, the Proud Boys went to the streets riled up. Im ready to swing right, a journalist at the Metropolitan Club heard a Proud Boy say as people began to stream from the venue. No one better fuck with us tonight. Only blocks away, they spotted a group of black-clad protesters. You ready? Go boys! one of the Proud Boys yelled before they charged at the protesters, pummeling them to the ground. One of the attackers yelled the homophobic slur f----- as he kicked a person laying on the sidewalk.

Afterward, another bragged that he had kicked his victim right in the fucking head. He was a fucking foreigner, he added. Included in the group who committed the assault were several far-right skinheads.

Police eventually charged 10 Proud Boys with riot and attempted assault in relation to the attack. Two members of the group, Maxwell Hare and John Kinsman, were found guilty on charges of attempted gang assault, attempted assault and riot in August 2019. Another seven individuals who faced charges related to the incident pleaded guilty. Hare and Kinsman were sentenced to four years in prison on Oct. 22, 2019.

Instagram and Facebook banned both the Proud Boys and Gavin McInnes in response to the violence in New York City. Twitter removed the group and its founder from their site two months prior. Without access to social media and especially Facebook, which was the Proud Boys primary platform for organizing rallies and recruiting new members the group fell into disorganization. Blaze Media, which had merged with CRTV and was hosting Get Off My Lawn, announced it was severing ties with McInnes shortly after.

Out of fear of mounting legal threats, which increased after it became public that the Proud Boys had gained the attention of the FBI, McInnes announced on Nov. 21, 2018, that he was officially dissociating himself from the group. In reference to the charges pending against the group of New York City Proud Boys, McInnes said that this action which he said was 100% a legal gesture would show jurors they are not dealing with a gang and there is no head of operations. (He had called the Proud Boys a gang on a podcast with Joe Rogan in early 2017.) McInnes repeatedly attempted to distance himself and the Proud Boys from white nationalism, calling the ideology remarkably esoteric and insisting that its unlikely any of us will ever meet a white supremacist.

Despite McInnes insistence that the Proud Boys forswear any racist beliefs, the group chose known neo-Confederate Jason Van Dyke as their new chairman just days after their founder announced his exit. Van Dyke was a member of the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter who had previously served as the groups attorney. After releasing a document with the Proud Boys new bylaws, in which he accidentally revealed the names of the groups new Elders, the new chairman suffered a very public meltdown. With his personal cell phone number posted on Twitter, a number of anonymous users sent Van Dyke a series of mocking text messages. Van Dyke responded to many of the messages with photos of guns. He texted, fuck off f----- to one person and fuck off dumb n-----s to another. Two days after appointing him as their leader, the Proud Boys announced that Van Dyke was chairman no more.

Enrique Tarrio, an Afro-Cuban man who once led the Miami Proud Boys chapter, took over as chairman after Van Dykes removal in 2018. Though McInnes had banned Proud Boys from going to the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Tarrio was there sporting a patch from the Proud Boys associated Fraternal Order of Alt-Knights.

Despite the numerous legal hurdles facing the group after their October 2018 brawl in New York City, members did little to rein in their violent rhetoric. In May 2019, HuffPost reported on a trove of leaked chatlogs including members of the group, which covered a time period from February through March of that year. The chats, which were later published in full by Unicorn Riot on Sept. 25, 2020, included a coalition of members from the Proud Boys, American Guard, Resist Marxism, Patriot Prayer and several militia groups. In them, members discussed the need for a win against antifascist activists in the runup to a series of rallies in the northeast. Others offered instructions on how and when to use violence.

If any contact is made with you, thats assault. If they take your hat, spray you with sill string, spit, push Its [sic] 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, far-right organizer Alan Swinney, who used the username Alan Groot on Telegram, told members of one of the leaked chats.

The group distanced themselves from Swinney after HuffPosts story ran, saying that they did not agree with the aggressive statements made by him, or his tactics.

But Swinney was far from alone in his statements encouraging violence. Some brandished weapons and sent selfies with them to the group; others discussed what kind of weapons theyd bring to rallies. In the same chatroom, Proud Boys member Anthony Mastrostefano announced that all I want to do is smash commies. He continued: When the time comes I will stop at nothing to fully eradicate them all!

In 2019 and 2020, the Proud Boys and other far-right groups were behind a number of demonstrations in Portland. The groups leadership has frequently portrayed these rallies as a means of forcing Portland to waste resources connected to crowd management.

Tarrio, who lives in Florida, has recently told journalists that his group intends to continue holding disruptive rallies until [Portland Mayor] Ted Wheeler does something, presumably referring to antifa.

Though Portland had served as a magnet for street fighters since 2017, an attack on activists at a local cidery contributed to growing political unrest in the city. On May 1, 2019, Joey Gibson and other members of Patriot Prayer allegedly coordinated an attack on Cider Riot, known to be popular with left-wing activists. The brawl resulted in a civil lawsuit, filed on behalf of Cider Riots owner on May 3. The complaint alleged that Gibson and his fellow defendants were spoiling for a fight. A wave of felony riot charges against several Patriot Prayer affiliates, including Gibson and at least one former member of the Proud Boys, followed.

As a result of the felony riot charges, Gibson turned himself in on Aug. 16, 2019, at Portlands Multnomah County jail.

But Gibson was taken into custody just as the city was bracing for yet another onslaught of far-right activity. On Aug. 17, 2019, some 500-plus extremists gathered in the city for a rally to End Domestic Terrorism. Material promoting the event explicitly targeted leftist and antifascist activists. Among the organizers were Proud Boys chair Tarrio, Proud Boys organizer and former Infowars employee Joe Biggs, and Ethan Rufio Panman Nordean, whose 2018 attack on an antifascist demonstrator had driven recruitment for the group after a video of it went viral on social media. At the time, The Guardian reported, the event proved to be the largest far-right demonstration of the Trump era in Portland.

Hey Mayor Ted Wheeler, thanks for footing the bill on our $2 million weekend in Portland. Maybe you wouldnt have to spend that kind of money if you did your job. And if you dont do your job, were going to continue to come back, said Biggs in a video posted to the Proud Boys Telegram and YouTube accounts on Aug. 18, 2019. His comment echoed an earlier statement from Tarrio published in the far-right website Gateway Pundit immediately after the event, where he threatened to come back month-after-month if the mayor of Portland didnt free [his] city from the grip of Antifa.

As The Guardian noted, Tarrio appeared to be promising to hold the city to ransom.

Legal consequences for members of the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer continued to mount. Tusitala Tiny Toese was arrested on Oct. 5, 2019. Toeses initial arrest at the Portland International Airport was tied to warrants issued for his arrest after he was indicted on felony assault charges for allegedly attacking a man during a June 2018 rally. He was subsequently sentenced to 10 days in prison for violating the terms of his probation. A few months later, in January 2020, he was banned from participating at protests in Portland for two years.

But a wave of political and civil unrest in 2020 provided new opportunities for the Proud Boys to make their mark in Portland and elsewhere, particularly in the Pacific Northwest.

In June 2020, leftist activists staged a weeks-long occupation protest in Seattle in a region that came to be known as the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, or CHAZ for short. The zone became a target for far-right and right-wing activists. Footage captured on June 15 near the zone depicted several men wearing Proud Boys gear attacking a man. In another video, the victim told artist and documentarian Rod Webber that the groups MO seemed to be to knock me around a bit, get my phone, steal the phone. He told Webber that a few of the men appeared to be armed.

As the Daily Beast reported on June 16, 2020, at least one of the men captured on film was Toese, who had also recorded a video threatening leftist activists less than ten days earlier. Later that month, authorities in Portland issued a warrant for Toeses arrest, citing a parole violation after Willamette Week reported he had allegedly threatened a Black Lives Matter protester in Portland.

On Aug. 15, 2020, a Portland rally organized by Haley Adams, a far-right provocateur and a close associate of Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys, brought together roughly 25 people outside of the Multnomah County Justice Center. As Willamette Week reported, far-right extremists stood briefly outside of the Justice Center exchanging barbs with left-wing counterprotesters before setting out on a march through downtown Portland. Some of the far-right protesters with Adams could be seen spraying the counterprotesters with Mace and/or shooting them with pellet or paintball guns. Not long thereafter, a man later identified as Skylor Jernigan drove through the crowd of anti-racist counterprotesters and fired two gunshots into the crowd.

Jernigan, a frequent presence at far-right events in Portland, was charged with two felony counts of unlawful use of a weapon and three misdemeanors. He has previously leveraged threats against activists and lawmakers. As Hatewatch reported in January 2019, Jernigan threatened antifascists in a Facebook video, saying: Youre gonna be getting knives put into your throat. Youre going to be getting bullets put into your head if you dont stop this shit with us.

Then, on Aug. 22, 2020, Alan Swinney, who previously instructed Proud Boys and other far-right extremists in private chats on the use of violence against their adversaries, reportedly fired a paint gun repeatedly and dispensed Mace into a crowd of antiracist protesters. He also allegedly pointed a gun at leftist activists but he did not fire. Leftists are losing their minds that Im not in jail right now for this. I wont [sic] be going to jail either, Swinney wrote on the social media site Parler.

If my lifes [sic] in danger or the lives of innocent people around me, Ill pull a gun. EVERY time. Without question, he said in the same post.

He was arrested on Sept. 30, 2020, on 12 charges, including attempted assault, unlawful use of tear gas, unlawful use of a weapon and of Mace, menacing and pointing a firearm at another person. Swinney also faces a civil lawsuit connected to his alleged actions in August 2020.

The next week, right-wing and far-right demonstrators fired paintball guns from the bed of a pickup truck into a crowd of counterprotesters. The attack was part of a large, pro-Trump demonstration, which consisted of a caravan of hundreds of trucks. Hours after the caravan ended its journey through the city, far-right and left-wing activists continued to clash in the streets. At around 9 p.m., police reported finding a man with a gunshot wound to the chest. He was identified as Aaron Jay Danielson and said to be a supporter of Patriot Prayer. His alleged shooter, Michael Reinoehl, was later identified as a self-described security person who claimed he shot Danielson in self-defense. Reinoehl was shot to death by officers on Sept. 3, 2020.

The Proud Boys soon announced a rally in response to Danielsons death to be held on Sept. 26, 2020, in Portland. The event drew around 1,000 attendees, many of whom were open carrying guns, according to The Guardian. On social media, activists and reporters cited several instances of far-right extremists at the event either threatening or appearing to assault journalists.

Activity on social media accounts associated with the Proud Boys indicate the group appears to have taken their mention at the presidential debate as indicative of a positive shift in mainstream political rhetoric regarding the group. In the days following the debate, the group enshrined their mention in memes and merchandise sold through their official website.

Proud Boys participated in Stop the Steal events throughout the country following Bidens win in the November 2020 election. After a Dec. 12, 2020, incident in Washington, D.C., where Proud Boys were filmed tearing down and burning Black Lives Matter banners at a number of historical Black churches in the city, police announced they were investigating the events as possible hate crimes. On Jan. 4, 2021, Tarrio was arrested on charges of destruction of property stemming from this episode. During the arrest, police said they found two high-capacity magazines in his possession.

A number of Proud Boys were arrested in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Among them were Ethan Rufio Panman Nordean and Joe Biggs, who were charged for their role in breaching the Capitol. Nordean was arrested on federal charges of obstructing or impeding an official proceeding, aiding and abetting, and knowingly entering or remaining in a restricted building. Biggs faces similar charges.

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Proud Boys | Southern Poverty Law Center

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) Several people who appeared to be former President Donald Trump supporters protested in downtown Raleigh Saturday afternoon.

By mid-afternoon, Proud Boys and Trump supporters were on one side of the parking lot at the intersection of Jones and Blount streets.

Police were standing between them and another group of people in the area across from the Executive Mansion. The other group appeared to be anti-Trump.

The Trump supporters were talking about people not being required to wear masks, freedom is a birthright and COVID-19 vaccines.

People at the rally said it was a planned worldwide rally for freedom and democracy. A CBS 17 reporter at the scene recognized at least one person who had been at the U.S. Capitol riots on Jan. 6.

At least two trucks that appeared to belong to Trump supporters were driven away from the area and did not appear to have license plates.

Counter-protesters asked Raleigh police officers why they did not stop drivers who were driving without license plates.

The event was over by 3:30 p.m.

Raleigh police said no one was cited or arrested during the events.

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Pro-Trump group and Proud Boys gather in downtown Raleigh - CBS17.com

Raleigh, N.C. About 100 people gathered in downtown Raleigh on Saturday afternoon for a rally that supported police and protested COVID-19 rules in North Carolina.

Among the group were people representing the Proud Boys and Reopen NC. Speakers voiced opposition toward the COVID-19 vaccine and COVID-19 policies. Those who talked expressed a general pro-law enforcement stance.

Several speakers addressed the crowd in a parking lot through a microphone amid counter protests from a nearby sidewalk along Blount Street. A line of Raleigh police officers separated the groups.

Counter protesters from the group NC Born were also there. There was much shouting and yelling from both sides, but there were no physical incidents. Counter protesters used sirens and megaphones in effort to drown out the other side.

Several men could be seen wearing clothing with the Proud Boys logo. Earlier this week, four men described as leaders of the Proud Boys were charged in the U.S. Capitol riots.

Several people listening to the speeches carried large American flags. Others had flags supporting former U.S. President Donald Trump.

In 2020, Reopen NC held several gatherings in Raleigh to protest Gov. Roy Cooper's executive orders that prevented some businesses from being able to operate. In February, Gov. Cooper ended a nightly curfew designed to limit the spread of the virus and eased other pandemic-related restrictions.

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Proud Boys among several groups to lead rally in downtown Raleigh - WRAL.com

Two more leading figures of the far-right Proud Boys group have been charged in connection with the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Zach Rehl, the president of the group's chapter in Philadelphia, and Charles Donohoe, a Proud Boys leader from North Carolina, were indicted on Wednesday, The New York Times reported.

Two others who had already been charged over the riot in which five people diedJoe Biggs, who organizes rallies for the group, and Ethan Nordean, the self-described "sergeant of arms" of the Seattle chapter of the Proud Boyshave also been accused of conspiracy connected to the claims against Rehl and Donohoe.

Thirteen people associated with the Proud Boys have now been accused of taking part in the storming of the Capitol, five of whom are prominent members.

The New York Times reports that Rehl is charged with conspiring to interfere with law enforcement officers at the Capitol and obstruct the certification of President Joe Biden's election victory in Congress.

Photos allegedly showing Rehl taking part in the January 6 attack were recently published by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Other images have been posted on social media that reportedly show him smoking a cigarette in the office of Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley during the riot.

Rehl is said to have led the Proud Boys Philadelphia chapter since at least 2018 and was seen talking with local officers outside a police union lodge in the city following a visit from former Vice President Mike Pence.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Greensboro told The Raleigh News and Observer that Donohue was arrested on Wednesday in Kernersville, North Carolina, and made his first court appearance a short while later.

It is not yet clear what Donohoe is accused of doing on January 6, but he faces the same charges as Rehl.

Ethan Nordean, also known as Rufio Panman, is said to have been the de facto leader of the Proud Boys on January 6 since the group's chairman, Enrique Tarrio, was barred from Washington D.C. following his arrest two days earlier.

Nordean is accused by prosecutors of giving orders and organizing groups of Proud Boys to attack and gain entry into the Capitol building.

He is charged with obstructing or impeding an official proceeding, aiding and abetting, and knowingly entering or remaining in restricted buildings or grounds and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds.

Nordean was released from custody on March 3 pending his trial after a judge ruled he did not pose a danger to the community and was not a flight risk.

Joe Biggs is one of the most prominent Proud Boys figures to be accused of storming the Capitol. He was charged in January with a number of offenses including attempting to obstruct, influence or impede an official proceeding before Congress.

According to the Times, Biggs and Nordean are accused of leading a mob of about 100 Proud Boys members and supporters through the streets of D.C. before attacking the Capitol.

Biggs admitted to the FBI that he did enter the building, but said he did so through the already open doors. Biggs denied being aware of any plans to storm the Capitol beforehand.

He was released from custody soon after his arrest in January.

Nick Ochs, leader and founder of Proud Boys Hawaii, was arrested at Honolulu airport on January 7.

He was originally charged with unlawful entry into restricted buildings or grounds, but charges of attempting to stop, delay and hinder the certification of the results of the 2020 presidential election were added later.

Ochswho uploaded a picture of himself inside the building with the caption "hello from the Capital lol"claims he only entered to cover the events as a reporter for the group "Murder the Media."

Ochs and his co-defendant, Nicholas DeCarlo, pleaded not guilty to the charges against them during a court appearance in mid-February.

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Every Proud Boys Leader Arrested Over Capitol Riot So Far - Newsweek

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Proud Boy Christopher Worrell will be taken to Washington, D.C., and remain in custody until his trial, a judge ruledin response to charges against himlinked to the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

Chief Judge Beryl A. Howell, of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said that the evidence against Worrell, 49, of East Naples,met the government criteria for denying bond. She said her decision included Worrelldispersing pepper spray gel on officers, his level of preparation, his history of intimidating and threatening behavior and his refusal to comply with FBI orders.

"The weight of evidence is strong here and favors detention," she said.

More: New attorney retained for East Naples man arrested in connection to Capitol riots

More: East Naples man arrested for involvement in Capitol riot believed to be 'Proud Boy'

Christopher Worrell of East Naples at the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, a photo included in an FBI statement of facts a federal magistrate signed March 10, 2021.(Photo: Photo courtesy of the FBI)

Howell ordered Worrell transferred from Tampa to a Washington, D.C., holding facility until trial. His next court appointment is at 10 a.m. April 8, unless he is indicted before that, she said.

John Pierce, former attorney for Kyle Rittenhouse, is representing Worrell. Rittenhouse was charged after he fatally shot two men with an AR-15-style rifle on Aug. 25, the third night of protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Pierce cited riots around the country, including the one in Wisconsin,as reason why Worrell was wearing a tactical vest, carried pepper spray gel and had an ear piece to communicate with people the government identified as other Proud Boys.

The prosecution had said the evidence shows that Worell and other Proud Boys listened to the president before walking to the Capitol.

The judge didn't buy Worrell's reasoning for his preparation.

"We have marches all the time in Washington, D.C.," she said. "This is not a march. This is a mob of assault on the Capitol,not following directions of police and breaking police lines. This was not a protest march. And if the defendant thoughtthat 's what he was doing and not understanding why hes sitting there, that gives me pause."

FBI agents arrested Worrell on March 12, at the home he shares with his girlfriend, Trish Priller, an executive assistant for the Naples Daily News. Worrell was taken to Tampa, where he's spent the last week, held without bond.

Prosecutors revealed Friday that Worrell was not at his home during the raid, saying he was 3 hours away camping. He was immediately contacted and instructed to turn himself in at the nearest FBI office.

They said Worrell instead told them that he would meet them at his home. The lawyers said he was emotional, they didn't know what he planned or where he was specifically and he had access to a cell phone for at least two hours past what an arrested person would normally have.

"He had three hours to think on his drive," prosecutors said.

Howell later cited the exchange and a 2009 arrest for impersonating an officer as a reason to deny Worrell bail. Court documents indicate he saw a woman drive through a yellow light, flashed a badge at her, and yelled at her. She called police, who found a badge, guns, handcuffs and a heavy duty flashlight in his front seat. He is not an officer.

Howell said that history, coupled with the FBI arrest, is a significant "backdrop" to imposing his own authority to the point of breaking the law."

She also questioned both attorneys about the significance of Worrell, pictured with Proud Boys, flashing an "OK" sign,which has gained ground as a White Power symbol. Two photos show Worrell with his thumb and index finger making the shape of an "O" or a "P" and three fingers forming a "W", standing for White Power.

As of Feb. 3, at least a half dozen people charged for their involvement in the Capitol riots were linked to the Proud Boys,an extremist group with ties to white nationalism.

White Boys adamantly deny any connection to the racist 'alt-right.'

Worrell's statement to the FBI in late January, included "the Proud Boys were not a racist white supremacist group like the media tries to portray."

Howell said because Worrell used the hand sign, she wasn't convinced of his statement.

Authorities investigating the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol say two extremist groups that traveled to Washington along with thousands of other Trump supporters weren't whipped into an impulsive frenzy by President Donald Trump. (March 10) AP Domestic

Previously: Prosecution: East Naples man sprayed pepper spray toward law enforcement officers at Capitol riot

More: Naples man among those arrested in Washington D.C. after violent Capitol siege

Howell questioned the government lawyers extensively on whether the pepper spray gel could be considered a dangerous weapon.

The prosecuting attorney explained the gel is "67 times more powerful than hot sauce," that the brand used was "double the average strength of other pepper sprays" and had better stopping power.

While Pierce told Howell that Worrell didn't intentionally spray officers, telling him that he was spraying another person in the mob who attacked older women, she pointed out that photos of the incident that Capitol police offers were in the line of the spray; and the defense did not provide anything different.She questioned why he wouldn't let police handle the incident and said it appeared that the police were his target.

By spraying the gel, a half-dozen officers broke the line to seek water to wash their eyes. That police line was joining another line closer to the building, where the mob broke through and into the Capitol.

The FBI received a tip that Worrellparticipated in the riots on Jan. 6 from someone who knows him, according to the prosecution.

While he was being arrested, Worrell told law enforcement that he knew the tipster, and he also said he knew the Twitter user who posted pictures of him at the capital.

Howell said that when Worrell told agents that when he caught up to the Twitter user,the FBI would be coming for him again."

"That's bold intimations of threats and thatraises a witness intimidation concern," Howell said, adding it figured into her decision to not grant bond..

As far as the government is aware, Worrell did not enter the U.S. Capitol building.

"Yes, he was definitely on the grounds, he felt that was his right," Pierce said. "But he loves his country, he was absolutely adamant that neither him norany of the friends that he was with enter any federal building."

The judge wasnot swayed.

"He understands my skepticism about him saying he was emphatically not going into Capitol building because he went into a restricted area, he was not following police commands and, as part of this crowd, mob, he was trying to stopthewhole reason they were there was to stop the count of electoral college votes. Why was he even there then?"

Worrell faces fivecharges connected to the Jan. 6 riot, according to the latest document filed by the prosecution:

Knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority while carrying a dangerous weapon

Knowingly engaging in disorderly or disruptive conduct in any restricted building or grounds while a dangerous weapon

Knowingly engaging in an act of physical violence in any restricted building or grounds while a dangerous weapon

Violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol Grounds

Obstruction of Justice/Congress

Naples Daily News reporter Jake Allen contributed to this report.

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D.C. Judge orders East Naples man with Proud Boys ties to remain jailed through trial - Naples Daily News

Gottheimer Announces New Steps to Combat Violent Extremist Groups, Calls for Proud Boys & Other International Extremist Groups to be Officially Designated as Terrorist Organizations

Provides Law Enforcement & Intelligence Community With More Tools to Fight Back Against Domestic Terror

NEWTON, NJ Today, Tuesday, February 23, 2021, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, urged the U.S. Department of State to officially designate international violent extremist groups, including the Proud Boys, as terrorist organizations. Doing so will help provide law enforcement and the U.S. intelligence community the tools necessary to protect the nation from domestic terrorists and other violent extremists that threaten our freedom, democracy, and communities. Todays announcement follows the involvement of domestic terrorist groups, including the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, in the January 6, 2021 failed insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and the massive growth of violent extremist groups in New Jersey and nationwide in recent years.

The official terrorist group designation: 1) impedes fundraising and deters contributions to these groups; 2) heightens public awareness and knowledge of those linked to terrorism; 3) makes clear to U.S. allies our governments concerns about these groups; and, 4) warns the private sector of the risks of doing business and associating with them. Most importantly, it 5) disrupts terrorist networks, thereby cutting off access to financial and other resources from sympathizers, and 6) encourages those targeted to end their support for terrorism. In these and other ways, it helps provide additional tools to law enforcement and our nations intelligence community to prosecute, financially counter, and help defeat these groups.

The vigilante mob who stormed our Capitol killed one heroic officer, Brian Sicknick, injured scores of others, tore down the American flag, and desecrated the home of our democracy, Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said today. Healing, of course, requires accountability and investigation, and we have seen the FBI and other law enforcement agencies take swift action against groups like the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, Three Percenters, and Stop the Steal, who all participated and helped lead the insurrection.

Gottheimer continued, Im here today to announce new, concrete steps to combat violent extremist groups in New Jersey and across our nation, including providing law enforcement and the U.S. intelligence community with the tools they need to protect our community, our country, and our Capitol from future domestic terror attacks. As our state and the Administration continues to examine the threat of domestic terror groups, Im urging the federal government to officially designate the Proud Boys and other violent extremist groups as terrorist groups.

Gottheimer added, Whatever their names may be whether its from the right, like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, or the groups inspired by the radical Antifa ideology on the extreme left theyre all justifying violence against their opponents, and neither Democrats nor Republicans should stand for this.

Of the 200 arrests made since the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, at least ten of the insurrections are from New Jersey including one not far from here in Sussex County, who was indicted on 12-counts, including assaulting an officer. Of the 22 individuals charged with conspiracy crimes connected to the U.S. Capitol attack, 18 were known to have ties to either the Oath Keepers or the Proud Boys.

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), anti-Semitic incidents in New Jersey are at the highest levels ever recorded. The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness has labeled white supremacy as a top level terror threat.

In a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Blinken today, Gottheimer wrote, I believe that a terrorist designation for qualifying entities would help provide additional tools to law enforcement and the intelligence community to prosecute, financially counter, and defeat these groups. There is also precedent for such a determination, as the United States has in the past designated international groups with American chapters and entities.

Gottheimer was joined at todays announcement, held at Sussex County Community College (SCCC), by Sussex County Prosecutor Francis Koch, First Assistant Prosecutor Greg Mueller, Captain Jennifer Williams of the Sussex County Prosecutors Office, Sussex County Undersheriff Matthew Avenatti, and Sussex County Community College President Jon Connelly.

Watch todays announcement event HERE.

View Gottheimers letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken HERE.

Gottheimers remarks as prepared for delivery are below.

Last month, for the first time since 1814, the world witnessed a deadly attack by several extremist groups on the U.S. Capitol, the beacon of our democracy, with the sole goal of overturning the will of the American people. I know. I was there that day in the House Chambers. The day before, I saw several people walking near the Capitol wearing Camp Auschwitz t-shirts and others with six million was not enough.

The vigilante mob who stormed our Capitol, killed one heroic officer, Brian Sicknick, injured scores of others, tore down the American flag, and desecrated the home of our democracy. They were nothing but lawless thugs and the very definition of extremists who sought to harm our country and attempted to shred our inalienable rights life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. In the end, they failed miserably. The Electoral College was certified; I spoke on the House floor that evening. The Capitol never closed. But they did succeed in tearing us further apart. I am here today to help bind up our nations wounds, because, as Lincoln said, A house divided against itself cannot stand.

That healing, of course, requires accountability and investigation and we have seen the FBI and other law enforcement agencies take swift action against groups like the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, Three Percenters, and Stop the Steal, who all participated and helped lead the insurrection. In fact, and none of us are proud of this, at least ten of the insurrectionists are from New Jersey including one not far from here in Sussex County, who was indicted on 12-counts, including assaulting an officer.

By the accountability for January 6th, we must do everything in our power to protect our country going forward from any extremists, whether they are Proud Boys or ISIS-inspired, lone wolf terrorists.

Thats why Im here today to announce new, concrete steps to combat violent extremist groups in New Jersey and across our nation, including providing law enforcement and the U.S. intelligence community with the tools they need to protect our community, our country, and our Capitol from future domestic terror attacks.

As our state and the Administration continues to examine the threat of domestic terror groups, Im urging the federal government to officially designate the Proud Boys and other violent extremist groups as terrorist groups.

Today, domestic-based extremists, including white supremacist groups, export their repulsive ideologies abroad, and, in turn, these international terror groups force their ideology on our country and threaten our homeland. This is a new, burgeoning threat that must be dealt with immediately. We know that American citizens have traveled abroad to train with international white supremacist and other extremist groups, and we must take every action to stop them.

These groups here are homegrown, but can also have international ties and, based on the increasing risk and threats here in New Jersey and nationwide, its time to label these extremists as full-fledged domestic terrorist groups.

The official terrorist group designation which under existing law can be placed on qualifying entities not only shines a much-needed light on the threat, but also opens up new authorities to help combat their extremism. The terrorist designation impedes fundraising and deters contributions to these groups, heightens public awareness and knowledge of those linked to terrorism; makes clear to U.S. allies our alarming concerns about these groups, and warns the private sector of the risks of doing business and associating with them. Most importantly, it disrupts terrorist networks, thereby cutting off access to financial and other resources from sympathizers, and encourages those targeted to end their support for terrorism. In these and other ways, it helps provide additional tools to our law enforcement and to our nations intelligence community to prosecute, financially counter, and help defeat these groups.

There is already precedent for such a determination, since the United States has in the past designated international groups with American chapters and entities, just like the Proud Boys has.

The Proud Boys group has already been classified as a hate group by civil rights organizations such as the Southern Poverty Law Center. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Proud Boys is a group with a global presence, including several international chapters in Britain, Norway, and Australia. Canada has already designated them as a foreign terrorist group. In addition, federal prosecutors have already warned that Proud Boys members could plan further attacks on the federal government.

Now, its time to make sure these groups that threaten the security of our communities and nation are specially designated as the terrorist groups that they are.

I know that everyone has seen lots of footage of the January Sixth attacks on the Capitol, but what you may not know is how much of a threat these extremist groups fully posed that day, and how much of a risk these groups are both here in New Jersey and nationwide.

On January Sixth, hundreds stormed the Capitol and more than two hundred have been arrested thus far.

Those who stormed the Capitol that day included some of the worst of the worst. But the hard, hard core was made up of particularly sinister groups which have been actively recruiting in our state for years, including the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, Three Percenters, and others.

These included anti-government extremists like the Oath Keepers a group the FBI describes as a large but loosely organized collection of militia who believe that the federal government has been co-opted by a shadowy conspiracy that is trying to strip American citizens of their rights. Though the Oath Keepers will accept anyone of their members, they prey on current and former military, law enforcement, and first responders. The New Jersey Department of Homeland Security has already designated the Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, Three Percenters, and other groups as threats to our state.

According to the ADL, the Proud Boys who were also heavily involved in the attack on January Sixth bear many of the hallmarks of a gang, and its members have taken part in multiple acts of brutal violence and intimidation. Last October, Congressman Tom Malinowski and I led our New Jersey House colleagues in urging the FBI to counter the presence of the Proud Boys and other hate groups in our state. As we wrote at the time, We believe we need a much more robust Federal response to the growing threat of violence posed by white nationalists, neo-Nazis, domestic terrorists, and other militias.

In fact, of the twenty-two people charged with conspiracy crimes connected to the attack on the U.S. Capitol, eighteen were known to have ties to either the Oath Keepers or the Proud Boys. One of the members of the Oath Keepers who has been charged sent text messages in which he described killing and mutilating people who held opposing views, and referred to his political adversaries as savages, maggots, and cockroaches.

Another Capitol assailant, a member of a militia extremist group called the Texas Freedom Force, even threatened to kill his family if they turned him in. Just this past week, federal authorities alleged a broader conspiracy by Oath Keepers to attack the Capitol on January Sixth, charging six more Oath Keepers for conspiring to obstruct Congress certification of the election that day.

January Sixth was just one single day, but many factors have brought us to this point. Hate, extremism, and violent acts of hate and discrimination have disturbingly risen in recent years.

In my own personal experience, there were supporters of mine who had swastikas painted in front of their house. Ive had swastikas on my own campaign lawn signs. Here in Northern New Jersey, weve seen swastikas drawn repeatedly in our schools, and on one of our great Jersey diners here in Sussex County: Airport Diner, which I hope can reopen again once we recover from the pandemic.

Weve seen the growth of hate here in New Jersey against people of all backgrounds: African American, Jewish, Irish Catholic, Muslim, Asian American such as the anti-Asian American vandalism against a restaurant here in Fifth District.

And we know all too well that social media can be filled with hate, disinformation, conspiracies, and propaganda, and that this danger can spread like wildfire.

Whatever their names may be whether its from the right, like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, or the groups inspired by the radical Antifa ideology on the extreme left theyre all justifying violence against their opponents, and neither Democrats nor Republicans should stand for this.

In New Jersey, weve seen a massive growth in white supremacy and hate acts, not just online, but in signs and protests, as well as gangs and violence. Anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, and racially charged incidents in New Jersey are now at the highest levels ever recorded, according to

the ADL.

Our New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness has also made clear the threat that homegrown violent extremists, or lone-wolf terrorists, are to New Jersey. Theyve taken the unprecedented step to raise the white supremacist threat level to high, and, as the Director of New Jerseys Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, Jared Maples, recently said, Jersey was the very first government entity in the United States to label white supremacy as a top level terror threat.

But, I know this is not who this nation is. This is not who we are. And we cannot and we will not let our nation or our politics be held hostage by domestic terror groups seeking to undermine our country.

Thats why Ive been at the forefront of combating these issues: from working closely with state and local officials like the FBI in New Jersey and our own Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness to stay vigilant; to leading the charge to make sure to make sure hate groups, foreign terrorist organizations, and extremists cannot spread propaganda on our social media platforms which has resulted in Twitter banning Hamas and Hezbollah affiliated content; to the House passing my bipartisan legislation last summer to make sure we know when these groups pop up online; and working with my colleagues to stand up to groups from ISIS to Q-Anon.

My announcement today is only a part of what our country needs to combat these issues. Last Congress, I announced my bipartisan Freezing Assets of Suspected Terrorists and Enemy Recruits or FASTER Act for law enforcement to freeze the assets of domestic terrorists facing federal charges for insurrection and seditious conspiracy like those who stormed the Capitol.

Im pleased that my bipartisan legislation will be part of a package of bills that the Financial Services Committee will have a hearing on this Thursday to address, as part of our Committees continued investigation into how domestic terrorism is financed.

Ive also introduced the Online Terrorism Prevention Act to require regular disclosure of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations on social media, and to impose financial and criminal penalties for social media companies that fail to eliminate terrorist content from their platforms.

And just last month, Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick and I led a bipartisan initiative urging the new Administration to restore the DHS Office of Community Partnerships (OCP), so that our country has a designated lead on efforts to counter violent extremism nationwide.

To be clear, there is plenty that both sides can disagree on and will continue to disagree on but we also need to unite against all forms of hate and stand up to these violent extremist organizations.

We must continue to stand vigilant against all threats, both foreign and domestic. With all of these initiatives, Im confident that we will give law enforcement and the U.S. intelligence community the tools necessary to protect us from violent extremists that threaten our freedom, our democracy, and our communities.

At a time when our nation is more polarized than ever, we must all work together at every level; both nationally and here in our own backyards to combat hate and extremism, especially in our political system. We must stay strong against the partisanship, turmoil, and vitriol that has plagued our nation.

Original post:

Gottheimer Announces New Steps to Combat Violent Extremist Groups, Calls for Proud Boys & Other International Extremist Groups to be Officially...

EXCLUSIVE: Mississippi congressman Thompson says his civil suit invoking the KKK Act is a direct response to Republicans political decision to acquit Trump in his impeachment trial

A member of the Proud Boys has been ringing Rep. Bennie Thompsons phone wanting a conversation with him since the Mississippi congressman filed a lawsuit against the white nationalist group. The suit also names former President Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani and the militia group, the Oath Keepers, as defendants.

The civil suit, backed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), is in direct response to the Jan. 6 deadly insurrection on the U.S. Capitol building. As of last Friday, Congressman Thompson had not answered the calls from the white supremacists.

Committee Chairman Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., speaks during a House Committee on Homeland Security hearing on worldwide threats to the homeland, on Capitol Hill Washington. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post via AP, Pool)

Read More: Democratic congressman Bennie Thompson sues Trump over role in Capitol riot

Congressman Thompson, a plaintiff in the case, says the call came into one of his local offices in Mississippi. He [Proud Boy member] wanted to talk to me before the lawyers started talking. Obviously, I am not going to talk to him because the suit is filed, Thompson exclusively told theGrio.

Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys, a far-right group, is seen at a Stop the Steal rally against the results of the U.S. Presidential election outside the Georgia State Capitol on November 18, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

Thompsons suit is using an anti-Klan law that dates back to the 1800s. The Civil Rights Act of 1871, better known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, was meant to protect congressional leaders from from Klan intimidation in the south after the Civil War.

The lawsuit claims Trump and Giuliani, his personal lawyer, conspired with the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers to create the deadly and historic event in which an angry, mostly white male mob broke into the Capitol, attacked U.S. Capitol police officers, killing one officer and four civilians. More than 100 other officers suffered injuries.

Read More: Proud Boys may have sought revenge against police at Capitol siege: report

Congressman Thompson says the evidence is clear that congressional leaders were intimidated on Jan. 6 as they assembled to certify the Electoral College votes that declared Joe Biden the 46th president of the United States.

Story continues

Trump supporters try to break through a police barrier at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

As the mob stormed the Capitol, U.S. Senators and House members, fearing for their lives, were videotaped praying for supernatural intervention, running through the halls with police escorts to safety, and having to put on gas masks because the Trump rioters had used bear spray as they rushed the Hill with intent to destroy and kill people.

The domestic terrorists were angry over the results of the 2020 presidential election in which Donald Trump lost the popular vote and the Electoral College. Rather than concede the race, Trump falsely claimed there was fraud in the voting process. However, there is no evidence of fraud in the election as 60 lawsuits filed on behalf of Trump were denied by the courts.

The Thompson civil suit is meant to establish accountability and hit the defendants where it hurts the pocketbook in efforts to prevent violent incidents like this from happening again.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson tells theGrio that he thinks his organization and Thompson are going in the right direction. No trial schedule has been set, however, a D.C. federal judge was just assigned to the case last week.

NAACP President and CEO, Derrick Johnson addresses the 110th NAACP National Convention in Detroit on July 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

Anytime you leave domestic terrorists unaccountable you can be assured there will be more domestic terrorism, Johnson tells theGrio.

Thompson, a lifetime member of the NAACP, says he is not looking for anything for himself but feels, we have to stop this expansion of domestic right-wing terrorists that are growing in this country.

Thompson also serves as the head of the House Homeland Security Committee and reminds people that, the FBI has testified before my committee that the single greatest threat to this country is the growth of right wing domestic terrorism.

The lawsuit is a direct result of what Thompson calls the Senates inaction to convict Donald Trump during the second phase of the impeachment process. Thompson says the acquittal was a political decision.

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The post Proud Boys calling Rep. Bennie Thompsons phone over Capitol riot lawsuit appeared first on TheGrio.

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Proud Boys calling Rep. Bennie Thompsons phone over Capitol riot lawsuit - Yahoo Sports

On Feb. 3, Minister of Public Safety Bill Blair announced that 13 groups had been added to the List of Terrorist Entities. Nine of the groups were jihadist groups. But for many Canadians, the most recognizable group was the Proud Boys, although other groups particularly Atomwaffen Division and The Base arguably pose a more virulent threat.

The Proud Boys, founded by Canadian writer Gavin McInnes, rose to prominence as the result of its violent engagement with counter-protesters during the so-called Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, Va., in August 2017. As with right-wing extremism more generally, the group, which operates in both Canada and the United States, has continued to rise in stature.

According to Blair, the escalation toward violence shown by the Proud Boys since 2018 was a central factor in their designation as a terrorist group. No one should expect the listing to function as a silver bullet; government officials admit that the designation is unlikely to produce criminal charges anytime soon. But this designation carries with it potentially important implications for the group and its members and supporters.

For the group, among the most significant potential outcomes is freezing, seizing and restraint of property. However, as many contemporary violent extremist groups, including the Proud Boys, operate less as traditional organizations and more as loose confederations of members and supporters, the effects of the listing are more likely to be experienced by these individuals.

Most notably, individuals are legally prohibited from participating in or contributing to an activity of a terrorist group. Thus, the proscription goes beyond active engagement in extremism to include support activities such as fundraising and recruiting.

Read more: Designating the Proud Boys a terrorist organization won't stop hate-fuelled violence

Carrying punishment as indictable offence (and liability to imprisonment for up to 10 years), the terrorist listing is clearly meant to limit the types of support activities that are essential for the sustenance of these groups.

What is less clear is whether the listing will influence Proud Boys members and supporters. For the hardcore members, the most dedicated acolytes, the effect may be minimal; in fact, it is conceivable that they could wear this status as a badge of honour (or proudly, if you like).

But for the bulk of followers, and potential recruits, especially those with what sociologist Jackson Toby once called stakes in conformity, the impact may be quite different. It is one thing to be involved with a group that is on the margins of acceptability, it is another to be part of one that has been banned. Such a connection could open one up to a further level of social censure, disapproval or ostracism.

One of the challenges in predicting how individuals affiliated with the Proud Boys will respond to the terrorism label is that we are breaking new ground.

The first two groups to be designated as terrorist entities, Blood & Honour and Combat 18, were largely defunct by the time they were listed. In contrast, the groups added on Feb. 3 are very much active.

In response, some have questioned the need for the list. This argument pays insufficient attention to the seriousness of the current situation. Apart from providing law enforcement with important tools to address a rising threat, designating the Proud Boys as a terrorist group plays a critical role in re-establishing an increasingly opaque distinction between right-wing politics and violent right-wing extremism.

Recent events in the U.S. five people associated with Proud Boys were arrested and charged with conspiracy for their role in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection represent the culmination of a deliberate process of blurring this line. Former president Trump and many Republican politicians have embraced, or at least failed to dissuade, right-wing extremists, to the point of where it is difficult to clearly demarcate where one ends and the other begins. Although the situation has been less pronounced in Canada, some of the same proclivities are evident here.

Designating the Proud Boys, Atomwaffen Division and The Base as terrorist groups provides a concrete affirmation that their activities unquestionably fall outside the bounds of acceptable political expression.

The listing process carries with it potential dangers that should be addressed. Like other western countries, Canada struggled in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 to create law to address terrorism. Many aspects of the War on Terror provide excellent examples of the perils of creating and applying laws and policies during a crisis, and cases where those laws have been arbitrarily or unfairly applied. For example, in the Canadian context, misguided information in the aftermath of 9/11 had led to the torture and mistreatment of certain citizens and permanent residents of Canada.

Perhaps the greatest concern with the listing process is its lack of transparency. While the government ought not be obliged to reveal its case prior to listing, an explanation afterwards of why a particular entity was designated as terrorist would go some way toward alleviating some concerns.

Labelling the Proud Boys as terrorists will not, in and of itself, resolve the growing political chasm that could erode Canadas social stability. However, it is a necessary element in maintaining the boundaries of reasonable political behaviour.

Continue reading here:

Proud Boys terrorist group designation may deter new recruits and fundraising - The Conversation CA

President Joe Biden called out the Proud Boys as one of the greatest threats to America during his town hall in Milwaukee. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor Joel Berkowitz got to ask Biden about white supremacists and other hate groups during that town hall Tuesday night. "While I appreciate efforts being made to bring them to justice, I worry about ongoing threats to our country from Americans who embrace white supremacy and conspiracies that align with it. What can your administration do to address this complex and wide-ranging problem?" Berkowitz asked the president."I got involved in politics to begin with because of civil rights and opposition to white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, and the most dangerous people in America continue to exist. That is the greatest threat to terror in America, domestic terror," Biden said."Are you concerned about white supremacists in Wisconsin?" WISN 12's Terry Sater asked Berkowitz."Sure. We've seen them kill people. We've had things happen in our own backyard," Berkowitz said.In January, Kyle Rittenhouse, charged with killing two people during police brutality protests in Kenosha, could be seen in a Mount Pleasant bar, prosecutors said, flashing "white power" signs while posing for photos and serenaded with the Proud Boys anthem.The same group the president brought up at the town hall."You may remember, in one of my debates with the former president, I asked him to condemn the Proud Boys and he wouldn't do it," Biden said.Berkowitz said he wished the president would have talked more at the Pabst Theater about the underlying causes of hate groups, but he's glad Biden has changed the tone of the conversation from the White House."They are dangerous people," Biden said.The president said he'd like the Justice Department and the civil rights division to focus on hate groups.

President Joe Biden called out the Proud Boys as one of the greatest threats to America during his town hall in Milwaukee.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor Joel Berkowitz got to ask Biden about white supremacists and other hate groups during that town hall Tuesday night.

"While I appreciate efforts being made to bring them to justice, I worry about ongoing threats to our country from Americans who embrace white supremacy and conspiracies that align with it. What can your administration do to address this complex and wide-ranging problem?" Berkowitz asked the president.

"I got involved in politics to begin with because of civil rights and opposition to white supremacists, the Ku Klux Klan, and the most dangerous people in America continue to exist. That is the greatest threat to terror in America, domestic terror," Biden said.

"Are you concerned about white supremacists in Wisconsin?" WISN 12's Terry Sater asked Berkowitz.

"Sure. We've seen them kill people. We've had things happen in our own backyard," Berkowitz said.

In January, Kyle Rittenhouse, charged with killing two people during police brutality protests in Kenosha, could be seen in a Mount Pleasant bar, prosecutors said, flashing "white power" signs while posing for photos and serenaded with the Proud Boys anthem.

The same group the president brought up at the town hall.

"You may remember, in one of my debates with the former president, I asked him to condemn the Proud Boys and he wouldn't do it," Biden said.

Berkowitz said he wished the president would have talked more at the Pabst Theater about the underlying causes of hate groups, but he's glad Biden has changed the tone of the conversation from the White House.

"They are dangerous people," Biden said.

The president said he'd like the Justice Department and the civil rights division to focus on hate groups.

See more here:

Biden: Proud Boys one of the greatest threats to America - WISN Milwaukee