Canada became the first country in the world to designate the Proud Boys group as a terrorist organization, noting that they had a “fundamental” role in the assault on the United States (USA) Capitol on December 6, 2020.
The group, founded in 2016 in far-right circles in New York, has been called a hate organization by the NGO Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors extremist groups in the US.
The Proud Boys have faced scrutiny from authorities and the media in the US in recent years, particularly since a large rally of far-right supporters in Charlottesville, Virginia, where there was an assault that took their lives of a young counter-protester. A former member of the group helped organize the event.
In addition, they gained great notoriety after the first presidential debate of the last electoral campaign, in which former President Donald Trump asked them to stand aside and wait, when the moderator urged him to denounce the far-right groups.
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued an alert last week regarding the increasing threat of “violent extremists motivated ideologically by objections to the exercise of government authority.”
Why did Canada decide to designate the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization?
Canadian officials said authorities had been monitoring and collecting evidence on the Proud Boys prior to the Capitol uprising, but said the assault helped with the decision to list the organization.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the group revealed itself. “His intention and his escalation into violence became quite clear,” the official said.
The Canadian ministry defines the Proud Boys as “a neo-fascist organization that participates in political violence” and assures that the leaders of the organization “planned their participation” in the assault on the capitol “setting objectives, issuing instructions and directing their members during the insurrection ”.
Nigel Bariffe, director of the Canadian Network Against Hate, told the Voice of America that, although the group is not the most intimidating among the Canadian community, its scope should not be ignored.
“There is a difference between the Proud Boys in the US, the ones we saw in the insurrection that happened on January 6, and the Proud Boys here in Canada. We all agree that simply their hatred is disgusting, but that of the US should definitely be on that list, ”Bariffe said.
How do the Proud Boys act and what are their beliefs?
The Canadian government, in its description of the group, notes that they advocate “misogynistic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant and white supremacist ideologies.” They hold rallies around the country and also attend other protests as counter-protesters, especially those in favor of civil rights and the Black Lives Matter group, usually provoking violence.
Matthew Valasik, sociologist and co-author of the book ‘Ultra Right Gangs’ argues that their behavior is similar to that of street gangs that exist in various US cities such as the Bloods or the Cribs.
They share many characteristics with the gangs (…), they promote violence against others, particularly Antifa, whom they see as their main threat and against anyone who opposes them, ”the sociologist told the VOA.
Vasilik describes that the Proud Boys have colors and symbols that they use often – black and yellow – and they even have a mascot, which is a rooster. They also have an initiation process where they violently beat someone until they can name five breakfast cereals.
For the Louisiana State University professor, the only difference between the Proud Boys and street gangs “is that they are a bunch of white men, between young and middle-aged.”
Voice of america
–
