Candidate rejects hate group claim

A BURNIE City Council candidate has refuted claims he remains a member of the Proud Boys, saying he now worked to stop other young people from being sucked into hate groups.

Labor has called on the Tasmanian government to “come clean” over claims about Jarrod Boys – who Labor said worked on the local Liberal Party’s campaign – and his connections to the Neo-Fascist group.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff said extreme Neo-Fascist views are unacceptable and should be condemned.

“Today I acted on this matter and have asked the party to investigate. As a process is under way, I won’t be commenting further,” he said.

Mr Boys, who unsuccessfully stood for council in 2018, is running again this year.

The 22-year-old agreed with Labor MP Dean Winter’s stance that the beliefs and actions of the Proud Boys had no place in Tasmanian politics.

Mr Boys said he had fallen victim to misleading marketing as a teenager and he now worked to stop other young people from becoming involved. He said he did become a member of the Proud Boys at the age of 17.

“During that period, I was unaware of any racist, fascist, influence within the Proud Boys. My understanding was that it was essentially a ‘free speech movement’,” Mr Boys said in a statement.

“In the constitution, there were clear rules against any racist, fascist, or radicalised views – any of these views would result in immediate termination from the group”.

While seriously injured in 2020, Mr Boys found that there was an emerging trend in the Proud Boys overseas, where many members began to express “wildly inappropriate, radicalised views”.

“As soon as I noticed this trend, I decided to dissolve the Tasmanian Proud Boys Chapter and cut contact with the remnants of the group, as I do not align myself with the views of racists or fascist-leaning individuals.”