An internal document reveals that Gavin McInnes-founded group Proud Boys is now classified as an “extremist group with ties to white nationalism” by the FBI, the Guardian reports.
McInnes, who also co-founded Vice Media, has attempted to distance the group from white nationalism and alt-right rhetoric while promoting violence and misogyny. Members associated with the Proud Boys were involved in violent incidents in New York City and Portland, Oregon last month.
In a federal document obtained by the Guardian via nonpartisan, nonprofit Property of the People, the FBI warned Washington state law enforcement agencies about the Proud Boys’ recruitment and “recent escalation of violence at political rallies.”
The FBI also stated in the document that it had advised law enforcement “not just in Washington but around the nation” about the Proud Boys. The document was compiled as part of an investigation into Erin Wiley, a former deputy in Washington’s Clark County who was fired after a newspaper photo showed her wearing a “Proud Boys Girls” sweatshirt, according to the Guardian.
The possibility that the Proud Boys would have a presence at the “We the People” rally in Philadelphia on Saturday ignited controversy and fears of more violence, but only two Proud Boys members showed up.
The Proud Boys has been booted from online platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and PayPal, and the Southern Poverty Law Center classifies the Proud Boys as a hate group.
READ MORE:
- How Philadelphia mobilized against the far-right
- Meet the Proud Boys, the pro-men, anti-masturbation enemy of ‘antifa’
- Philly cabs deny service to Proud Boys after learning who they are
H/T the Guardian
