Proud Boys

Proud Boys
FounderGavin McInnes[1]
LeaderEnrique Tarrio[1]
FoundationSeptember 2016; 8 years ago (2016-09)[1]
CountryUnited States (active)[1]
Canada (dissolved May 2021)[1]
AllegianceDonald Trump[1]
Motives
Active regionsUnited States
Ideology

Factions:

Political positionFar-right[1]
Major actions
StatusActive
AlliesPatriot Prayer[citation needed]
Oath Keepers[11]
Three Percenters[12]
OpponentsAntifa[13]
Designated as a terrorist group by Canada
 New Zealand[14]
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The Proud Boys is a North American far-right, neo-fascist militant organization that promotes and engages in political violence.[1][15][16] The group's leaders have been convicted of violently opposing the federal government of the United States, including its constitutionally prescribed transfer of presidential power.[17] It has been called a street gang[18][19] and was designated as a terrorist group in Canada[20][21] and New Zealand.[14] The Proud Boys are opposed to left-wing and progressive groups and support Donald Trump, the former president of the United States and current President-elect of the United States.[1][16] While Proud Boys leadership has denied being a white supremacist organization, the group and some of its members have been connected to white supremacist events, ideologies, and other white-power groups throughout its existence.

The group originated in the far-right Taki's Magazine in 2016 under the leadership of the Vice Media co-founder and the former commentator Gavin McInnes,[1] taking its name from the song "Proud of Your Boy" from The Walt Disney Company’s musical Aladdin from 2011.[22] Although the Proud Boys emerged as part of the alt-right,[1] McInnes distanced himself from the movement in early 2017, saying the Proud Boys were alt-lite while the alt-right's focus was on race.[23] Donald Trump's comment, "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by", during a presidential debate in September 2020 prior to the 2020 U.S. presidential election was credited with increasing interest and recruitment.[24] After the remark caused an outcry for its apparent endorsement, Trump condemned the Proud Boys while saying he did not "know much about" them.[25][26]

According to the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism the group believes that traditional masculinity and Western culture are under siege, using "Western chauvinism" as euphemism for the white genocide conspiracy theory.[5] Members have participated in overtly racist events and events centered around fascist, anti-left, and anti-socialist violence.[5] The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has called the group an "alt-right fight club" and a hate group that uses rhetorical devices to obscure its motives.[16][27][28][29] The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) described the Proud Boys as "extremist conservative" and "alt lite", "overtly Islamophobic and misogynistic", "transphobic and anti-immigration", "all too willing to embrace racists, antisemites and bigots of all kinds", and cites the group's promotion and use of violence as a core tactic.[30]

The group has been banned from multiple social networks, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,[1][31] and YouTube.[32] In February 2021 the U.S. Department of Justice announced the indictment of members for conspiracy related to the 2021 United States Capitol attack, and the Canadian arm of the group folded after being designated a terrorist organization.[1][9][33][34][35]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y Kriner, Matthew; Lewis, Jon (July–August 2021). "Pride & Prejudice: The Violent Evolution of the Proud Boys" (PDF). CTC Sentinel. 14 (6). West Point, New York: Combating Terrorism Center: 26–38. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
  2. ^ "Weekend Roundup: Wisconsin Proud Boys Detail Racist, Antisemitic, Homophobic Culture". Wisconsin Public Radio. June 26, 2021. Archived from the original on June 26, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Marcotte, Amanda (October 18, 2021). "Tucker Carlson, Joe Rogan, and the Proud Boys: How the fragility of the male ego fuels the far-right". Salon.com. OCLC 43916723. Archived from the original on October 18, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference www.adl.org was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b c Kutner, Samantha (2020). "Swiping Right: The Allure of Hyper Masculinity and Cryptofascism for Men Who Join the Proud Boys" (PDF). International Centre for Counter-Terrorism: 1. JSTOR resrep25259. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  6. ^ Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (June 27, 2023). "Are the Proud Boys Imploding?". Global Project Against Hate and Extremism. Archived from the original on August 11, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2023.
  7. ^ Miller, Cassie. "Proud Boys Aid the Right-wing Assault on the LGBTQ Community and Reproductive Justice". splcenter.org. SPLC. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  8. ^ Passaretti, Amy; Carver, Shea (June 22, 2022). "Proud Boys, other demonstrators disrupt children's Pride Storytime". Port City Daily. Wilmingonton, NC. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Aiello, Rachel (February 3, 2021). "Canada adds Proud Boys to terror list". CTVNews. Archived from the original on February 6, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  10. ^ "Government of Canada lists 13 new groups as terrorist entities and completes review of seven others". Government of Canada. February 3, 2021. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  11. ^ "Jan. 6 hearing highlights coordination by Florida Oath Keepers, Proud Boys leaders". Tallahassee Democrat. July 12, 2022. Archived from the original on July 12, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  12. ^ "Oath Keeper planned with Proud Boys, Three Percenters before Capitol attack, prosecutors say". USA Today. March 24, 2021. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved January 3, 2023.
  13. ^ Levinson, Jonathan (August 23, 2021). "Proud Boys And Anti-Fascists Clashed At Portland Rally". NPR. NPR. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  14. ^ a b "Designation of Two Terrorist Entities". New Zealand Government. June 27, 2022. Archived from the original on June 29, 2022. Retrieved June 29, 2022.
  15. ^ Far-right: Fascist: Men only: Political violence and militancy:
  16. ^ a b c "Proud Boys". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  17. ^ Reilly, Ryan J. (May 4, 2023). "Four Proud Boys members found guilty of seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 trial". NBC News. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  18. ^ Ward, Ian (September 23, 2022). "Jan. 6 Was Just the Beginning for the Proud Boys". Politico. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  19. ^ Campbell, Andy (February 7, 2022). We Are Proud Boys: How a Right-Wing Street Gang Ushered in a New Era of American Extremism. Hachette Books. ISBN 9780306827464. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference West-2021 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ "By unanimous consent, the #HoC adopted a motion regarding the proliferation of white supremacist and hate groups and the designation of the Proud Boys as a terrorist entity". via Twitter. January 25, 2021. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021.
  22. ^ Coaston, Jane (October 15, 2018). "The Proud Boys, the bizarre far-right street fighters behind violence in New York, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on October 17, 2018. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference Marantz-2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Cheney, Kyle (September 5, 2023). "Enrique Tarrio, Proud Boys leader on Jan. 6, sentenced to 22 years for seditious conspiracy". POLITICO. Archived from the original on December 27, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2023.
  25. ^ "Trump denounces 'all white supremacists' including Proud Boys". Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  26. ^ "Trump condemns all white supremacists after Proud Boys row". BBC News. October 2, 2020. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  27. ^ Cite error: The named reference Morlin-2017 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  28. ^ Carter, Mike (May 1, 2017). "Seattle police wary of May Day violence between pro- and anti-Trump groups". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on October 30, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018.
  29. ^ "Proud Boys". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on October 16, 2018. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  30. ^ ADL:
  31. ^ Rivera, Pedro (May 8, 2019). "Who Are the Proud Boys and Why Are They Banned from Social Media Platforms?". Fox40 Sacramento. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021.
  32. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wendling-2020 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  33. ^ "Government of Canada lists 13 new groups as terrorist entities and completes review of seven others". www.canada.ca. Ottawa: Government of Canada. February 3, 2021. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  34. ^ Evan Perez, Katelyn Polantz and Mallory Simon (February 3, 2021). "New charges allege Proud Boys prepped for Capitol insurrection". CNN. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  35. ^ Benner, Katie; Feuer, Alan (February 4, 2021). "Justice Department Unveils Further Charges in Capitol Riot". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 12, 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.