FBI LABELS PROUD BOYS AN EXTREMIST GROUP
Cites ties to white nationalists
The FBI has now categorized the Proud Boys, founded by Canadian Gavin McInnes, as an extremist group with ties to white nationalists but the Canadian government and military does not appear yet ready to make any such declaration.
The FBI have warned police in Washington State that the group is actively recruiting in the Pacific Northwest and its members have “contributed to the recent escalation of violence at political rallies held on college campuses, and in cities like Charlottesville, Virginia, Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington,” according to a report produced by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office in Vancouver, Wash.
“The FBI categorizes the Proud Boys to be an extremist group with ties to white nationalism,” Commander Michael McCabe, who investigated the activities of an employee in sheriff ’s office linked to the group, wrote in August.
He confirmed to Britain’s Guardian newspaper in an article published Monday that the FBI’s decision to categorize the Proud Boys as an extremist group was revealed to him in an August briefing by the U.S. federal investigation agency.
The Proud Boys made headlines in Canada last year when five members of the group, all Canadian Forces members, disrupted a protest by Indigenous activists in Halifax. The military personnel did not face criminal or disciplinary charges after the incident and returned to their units and regular duties. One of the five left the Canadian military.
The FBI’s categorization of the Proud Boys does not appear to have any new impact on the Canadian government or military’s view of the organization.
The Canadian military does not maintain a specific list of groups that are inappropriate for its members to join, the military noted in a statement sent Monday to Postmedia. Military personnel are “expected to use sound judgment and conduct themselves in a manner that reflects well on the CAF and the country they represent,” the statement added.
“While it would be inappropriate for us to comment on the policies of foreign law enforcement agencies, we will take this opportunity to reiterate that all forms of hate and discrimination runs completely counter to the CAF’s military ethos,” the statement noted.
The RCMP publishes a Terrorism and Violent Extremism Guide but the Proud Boys is not on that list.
Scott Bardsley, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, said the department can’t comment on operational security matters. “Hate speech and hate crimes are intolerable in Canada,” he said. “Canada’s law enforcement agencies take all security threats very seriously, including those posed by right-wing extremists, and have robust measures in place to address them.”
News of the FBI’s decision comes as a number of Proud Boys face criminal charges in New York after a melee with left-wing protesters last month. Five members of the group have been arrested so far, including one who was charged with attempted gang assault, attempted assault, riot and criminal possession of a weapon. New York police are seeking to charge a total of nine Proud Boys in connection with the brawl that started after a speech by McInnes.
In addition, Facebook and Instagram last month banned a number of accounts linked to the group. In August, Twitter permanently banned accounts linked to McInnes and his group.
The Proud Boys was founded in the U.S. in 2016 by McInnes, who helped establish Vice Media. The Proud Boys call themselves “Western chauvinists” and have denied any link to organized right-wing or racist organizations.
But the Southern Poverty Law Center, a U.S. organization which tracks activities of the far-right and Neo-Nazi groups, noted that rank-andfile Proud Boys and leaders regularly spout white nationalist slogans and maintain affiliations with known extremists. They are known for anti-Muslim and misogynistic views, the organization added.
Commander McCabe told the Guardian that the FBI “have been warning (local law enforcement) for a while” about the Proud Boys.
Last year after announcing that the Canadian military members of the Proud Boys won’t face criminal charges, Rear-Admiral John Newton, then commander Joint Task Force Atlantic, indicated the servicemen were remorseful for their actions. Newton acknowledged the military personnel embarrassed the Canadian Forces. But he added, “You cannot just turn around and fire everybody. They have rights.”
(PROUD BOYS) CONTRIBUTED TO THE RECENT ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE AT POLITICAL RALLIES HELD ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES
YOU CANNOT JUST TURN AROUND AND FIRE EVERYBODY.