The Proud Boys call themselves a “pro-Western fraternal organisation for men who refuse to apologise for creating the modern world”. The US government said the group engages in political violence and that members espouse misogynistic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, and white supremacy
File image of Henry “Enrique” Tarrio. Victor J Blue (C) 2020 The New York Times
On Tuesday, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio and four others were charged with seditious conspiracy over the 6 January insurrection at the US Capitol.
Prosecutors charged Tarrio, the former chairman of the Proud Boys, and four others linked to the group with conspiring to forcibly oppose the lawful transfer of presidential power. The men are scheduled to stand trial in August in Washington, DC’s federal court.
Let’s take a closer look at the far-right extremist group:
As per the US justice department, the Proud Boys are a “nationalist organisation”.
They call themselves “pro-Western fraternal organisation for men who refuse to apologise for creating the modern world; aka Western Chauvinists,” as per a 2021 justice department report.
The US government said the group engages in political violence and that members espouse misogynistic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, and white supremacist ideologies.
As per Forbes, the group claims that racism is a white liberal myth, feminism emasculates men, and Islam is definitively violent. The Proud Boys say that they are 5,000 strong, that their membership “spans the globe,” and that they are a “drinking club with a patriot habit.”
Labelled as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Centre, the Proud Boys were founded in the midst of the 2016 US election by Canadian-British right-wing activist Gavin McInnes.
McInnes, who also co-founded Vice Media, has since stepped away from the group.
He sued the Southern Poverty Law Centre, claiming the label was “purposefully deceitful” and meant to hurt his reputation.
Degrees of membership
As per the Southern Poverty Law Centre, there are four degrees of membership within the Proud Boys:
To become a first degree in the “pro-West fraternal organisation” a prospective member simply has to declare, “I am a Western chauvinist, and I refuse to apologise 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, as per the group.
Megan Squire, a professor at North Carolina’s Elon University who tracks extremist groups online, told Forbes members pay monthly dues of $20. Squire also shared that membership overlaps significantly with neo-Nazi groups.
Jed Holt at Right Wing Watch told Vox, “The Proud Boys have been the right wing’s enforcers in the streets against those who dissent against them.”
As per BBC, the group’s name is a reference to a song from the musical version the Disney animation film Alladin.
Crowds marched to the Capitol and fought through undermanned lines of police who lacked guidance from their superiors or help from the National Guard. The rioters broke into the building and began searching for lawmakers, forcing evacuations of the House and Senate. AP
Often clad in black and yellow polo shirts, members can be spotted at rallies and protests wearing body armour, and carrying weapons such as firearms, paintball guns and baseball bats.
As per the Anti-Defamation League, the group likely has several hundred members with chapters in most states and some other countries.
They drew media attention in late 2018 after a violent confrontation with left-wing protesters in New York City, and returned to the spotlight during protests in recent 2020 where they have brawled with antifa activists.
The Canadian government in February 2021 designated the Proud Boys group as a terrorist entity, noting that they played a pivotal role in the 6 January insurrection.
Tarrio at the time called the terrorist designation “ridiculous.”
“There is no basis for it. It’s infringement of free speech rights. All the Canadian Proud Boys have ever done is go to rallies,” Tarrio said in a phone interview.
“They used what happened at the Capitol to push for this.”
He estimated there are between 1,000 and 1,500 Proud Boys in Canada.
They have been banned from platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Trump call out
File image of Donald Trump at a campaign event on behalf of Georgia’s Republican senators. By Erin Schaff (C) 2021 The New York Times
Donald Trump during a 2020 US presidential debate raised a few eyebrows when, asked if he would denounce white supremacists and far-right groups, told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by”.
The group’s members took to social media to celebrate.
Proud Boys member Joe Biggs wrote on conservative social media platform Parler: “President Trump told the proud boys to stand by because someone needs to deal with ANTIFA…well sir! we’re ready!!”
After being slammed by critics, Trump quickly walked backed the remarks, claiming he was not familiar with the group and that they should let law enforcement do its work.
Biden in another presidential debate mistakenly referred to the group as ‘Poor Boys’.
With inputs from agencies
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