The Proud Boys were created in the 2016 US election by the co-founder of Vice Media. (File)
Washington / Los Angeles:
President Donald Trump, who he asked if he would denounce white supremacists and militias during Tuesday night’s presidential debate, told the right-wing Proud Boys to “step back and stand ready.”
Who are the proud boys?
The Proud Boys were created in the 2016 US election by Vice Media co-founder and Canadian-British right-wing activist Gavin McInnes, who has since walked away from the group.
The group probably has several hundred members with chapters in most states and some other countries, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an anti-hate organization. They gained media attention in late 2018 after a violent confrontation with leftist protesters in New York City, and have returned to the limelight during protests in recent months.
They describe themselves as an exclusively male club of “Western chauvinists” who “refuse to apologize for creating the modern world“. The group, whose members are multiracial, has been called out for misogynistic, anti-Muslim and anti-immigration rhetoric by advocates of extremism.
Members of the group tend to adhere to an ideology that rejects overt white supremacy but embraces chauvinism, according to the ADL.
Last year, two members of the group were sentenced to four years in prison for their role in a violent 2018 brawl with anti-fascist protesters following a McInnes speech at a Republican club in New York.
Why were they mentioned in the debate?
Debate moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump if he was prepared to condemn white supremacists and militias and tell them to ‘step back’ and not add to violence during recent protests in US cities such as Portland, Oregon and Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Trump agreed to do so, asking, “Who would you want me to condemn?” Biden intervened: “The Proud Boys”.
Trump then urged the Proud Boys to “step back and be ready” but quickly turned the conversation to the antifa, a left-wing anti-fascist ideology, whose adherents he blamed for violence during protests. of the last few months.
In a Proud Boys channel on the Telegram messaging app, members shared a version of their logo that included the words “stand back, wait” following Trump’s remarks.
Joe Biggs, a member of Proud Boys, celebrated the group’s mention on the Talking social media platform, saying, “President Trump told the proud boys to get ready because someone has to deal. of ANTIFA … well sir! We are ready !! “
Trump retracted his remarks at the White House on Wednesday, telling reporters he was unfamiliar with the Proud Boys, but the group should let law enforcement do their job.
How are the proud boys linked to the recent American protests?
The group has clashed fiercely with Black Lives Matter and antifa protesters in Portland and other cities in recent months. At rallies, members often dress in black and yellow polo shirts, wear bulletproof vests, and carry weapons, including guns, paintball guns, and baseball bats.
Ahead of a Proud Boys rally in Portland last Saturday, Oregon Democratic Governor Kate Brown declared a state of emergency for the city over the weekend, citing an imminent risk of civil unrest threatening injury or death. loss of life.
The rally, which drew hundreds of Proud Boys supporters, was largely peaceful, but police and left-wing protesters subsequently clashed in downtown Portland.
Are the proud boys a hate group?
The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), another hate advocacy organization, called the Proud Boys a hate group in 2018. McInnes sued the organization for hate designation in February 2019, saying it was “deliberately misleading And aimed to hurt his reputation.
The case is still ongoing and lawyers for both sides did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Oregon Governor Brown criticized the Proud Boys in a tweet Wednesday. “Let’s be clear: the Proud Boys are white supremacists,” she said. “Racism and hatred are not forms of patriotism”.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
