Who are the Proud Boys?
By typing the name Proud Boys in the Google search bar, among the approximately 280,000,000 results found, the page dedicated to them on the well-known virtual encyclopedia ,Wikipedia, stands out in the front row, defining them as follows:
The Proud Boys is an American far-right, neo-fascist, and exclusively male organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the United States.
The history of the organization
The organization was founded in 2016 by Gavin Miles McInnes, co-founder of the broadcasting and digital media company Vice Media, later ousted by the latter in 2008 due to creative differences.
McInnes intended to create a politically incorrect club for Western chauvinistic men. Later, this club consolidated into a real male organization whose values are deeply rooted in right-wing conservatism and chauvinism. The Proud Boys firmly believe in the concept of masculinity, the exaltation and protection of the working class and the principles of conservatism, i.e. the defence of current institutions, traditions and the idea of private property (in stark contrast to socialist and Marxist ideologies). The pillar of the Proud Boy creed is Western chauvinism.
Chauvinism
In the socio-political sphere, chauvinism is a form of patriotism and extreme nationalism in which the chauvinist extols the glory and excellence of their nation. It is a political creed with hyperbolic tones which affirms the superiority of one’s own nation on the chessboard of international politics, compared to the others.
The term originates from the legendary figure of the Napoleonic soldier Nicolas Chauvin, who, despite the abdication of Napoleon, maintained his fanatical convictions of a messianic role of the Napoleonic empire, a somewhat unpopular political vision among the French following the Bourbon restoration.
According to the Proud Boys, Western culture is responsible for shaping the modern world in which we live and creating the most prosperous and stable society ever made. For the Proud Boys members, western chauvinism is a natural response to the up-growing politics of the anti-nationalist left.
I’m a proud Western chauvinist, I refuse to apologize for creating the modern world
Rite phrase pronounced during the initiation into the Proud Boys.
Defence of masculinity
In the Proud Boys vision, mainstream media and the leftists are systematically attacking the concept of masculinity, calling it toxic, and blaming the cisgender heterosexual white man, “The Ultimate advocate” of the systematic oppression of women and minorities, based on modern identity politics. This critical view of the organization places the Proud Boys in stark contrast with feminist and social justice movements.
Use of violence
The group has an organization close to para-militarism. During various rallies, Proud Boys members showed anti-riot and combat equipment such as tactical vests, protective helmets, shields and firearms.
Regarding the use of violence, Proud Boys declared that, it is mainly a means of self-defence against political groups hostile to Proud Boys, such as Antifa, a loose group of violent far-left activists.
Controversies
In recent years, the group has been at the centre of numerous controversies, in which it is assumed affiliation with far-right and alt-right movements.
Affiliation to the Alt-right and Neo-Nazism
In October 2019, members of the Denver (CO) division were seen marching alongside members of the Patriot Front and members of the dissolved Traditionalist Worker Party (TWP), both far-right, ethnonationalist and neo-nazi organizations. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), these reports show that the Proud Boys are not a club of western chauvinist men but an extreme group, a gang affiliated with the far-right. In early 2017, Gavin McInnes began to distance himself from the alt-right by saying that their focus was race, while Proud Boys focused on western values. The rebranding attempt intensified following the Unite the Right Rally. In 2018, McInnes claimed that the Proud Boys were part of the “new right”.
The group would have anti-semitic, islamophobic and racist ideas since they were seen assaulting anti-racist Protestants.
The factual reality of the Proud Boys is that racist, supremacist and violent activities are banned in the initiatives of the Proud Boys (violence is contemplated only as a means of self-defence).
McInnes has always rejected the idea of belonging to the alt-right or white nationalist movements, refusing any form of discrimination based on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.
Yosef Ozia, an African-American libertarian member of the Proud Boys, said about the organization as follows:
Me being in the group, I have met all the different colours of the rainbow. Different backgrounds, different religions, all that. From Sikhs to Muslims, from me being Jewish, to Christianity.
Yosef Ozia — member of the Proud Boys.
Conclusions
At this point, what can we say about the Proud Boys? Are they violent? Are they white supremacists affiliated with the far-right?
The Proud Boys cannot be defined as a supremacist group due to the presence of members who don’t reflect the concept of white man promoted by many US supremacist groups, e.g. the Patriot Front considers a true white American the descendant of British settlers while some members have an ethnic and cultural heritage that differs from it, an example is the chairman of the organization Enrique Tarrio who is Afro-Cuban. The primary goal of a white supremacist is the creation of a hypothetical ethnostate, an exclusionary and racist entity. McInnes, the founder of the Proud Boys, has always expressed a total disinterest and rejection of racism and race.
Confirming the existence of a possible affiliation to the far-right and neo-fascist movements is complex. It is right to remember that fascism is an autarkic, racist and a socio-political movement highly critical towards democracy, proposing the establishment of a one-party regime. The proud boys have never expressed any interest in autarky (Proud Boys support free market), race and totalitarianism.
Proud Boys surely have a problem with violence and with their systematic constitution. The various rallies in which the Proud Boys participate are themselves a perfect catalyst of violent acts: demonstrations for purely propaganda purposes in which no real political conversation takes place. During the rallies, people do not seek any kind of dialogue and violent clashes occur between groups with different socio-political views. A major fault of the group is the absence of a real statute that regulates the conduct of the members in a univocal way which gives instructions on how the various divisions have to be organized. A statute that regulates the conduct and rules of the group is essential to guarantee the moral and political integrity of any organization and prevent the emergence of radical and violent ideologies.
