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WASHINGTON / LOS ANGELES: President Donald Trump, when asked if he was going to speak out against white supremacists and militia groups during the US presidential debate on Tuesday night, told the right-wing Proud Boys group to “step back and stay out. “
WHO ARE THE PROUD GUYS?
The Proud Boys were established during the 2016 U.S. elections by Vice Media co-founder and Canadian-British right-wing activist Gavin McInnes, who has since distanced himself from the group.
The group is likely to have several hundred members with chapters in most states and some other countries, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an anti-hate organization. They attracted media attention in late 2018 after a violent clash with left-wing protesters in New York City, and returned to the spotlight during protests in recent months.
They describe themselves as an exclusive men’s club of “Western chauvinists” who “refuse to apologize for creating the modern world.” The group, whose membership is multiracial, has been criticized for its misogynistic, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric by advocates monitoring 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 fight with anti-fascist protesters following a speech by McInnes at a Republican club in New York City.
WHY WERE THEY MENTIONED DURING THE DEBATE?
Debate moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump if he was willing to condemn white supremacists and militia groups and tell them to “stand down” and not join in the violence during recent protests in US cities like Portland, Oregon and Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Trump agreed to do that and asked, “Who would you like me to convict?” Biden chimed in: “The Proud Boys.”
Trump then urged the Proud Boys to “back off and stay out of it,” but quickly changed the conversation to antifa, a left-wing anti-fascist ideology whose supporters he has blamed for the violence in the protests in recent months.
On a Proud Boys channel on the Telegram messaging app, members shared a version of their logo that included the words “back off, wait” after Trump’s comments.
Supporters of the far-right group Proud Boys pray as they attend a rally in Portland, Oregon, USA, September 26, 2020 (Photo: REUTERS / Leah Millis)
Proud Boys member Joe Biggs celebrated the group’s mention on social media platform Parler, saying: “President Trump told the proud boys to wait because someone needs to deal with ANTIFA … well sir! We are ready !! “
On Wednesday, Trump retracted his comments at the White House, telling reporters that he was not familiar with the Proud Boys, but that the group should let the police do their job.
HOW ARE PROUD CHILDREN TIED TO THE RECENT UNITED STATES PROTESTS?
The group has clashed violently with Black Lives Matter and antifa protesters in Portland and other cities in recent months. At rallies, members often wear black and yellow polo shirts, wear bulletproof vests, and carry weapons, including firearms, paintball guns, and baseball bats.
Ahead of a Proud Boys rally in Portland last Saturday, Oregon Democratic Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency for the city over the weekend, citing an imminent risk of civil unrest threatening injury or death.
The rally, which drew hundreds of Proud Boys supporters, was largely peaceful, but police and left-wing protesters later 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 over the hate designation in February 2019, saying it was “intentionally misleading “and was intended to hurt his reputation.
The case is still ongoing and lawyers for both parties 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,” he said. “Racism and hatred are not forms of patriotism.”
