The Canadian government designated the Proud Boys, a far-right hate group, as a terrorist organization after their involvement in the January 6 uprising on the United States Capitol.
The Canadian government cited the group’s involvement in violence against Black Lives Matter protesters, as well as its “central role” in the insurrection, as reasons behind the designation.
The designation will allow the Canadian government to reject members of the Proud Boys at the border and remove their internet posts within Canada, as well as impose penalties on anyone dealing with their property or finances. Although the group was founded in 2016 in the United States, where it remains more prevalent, there are semi-autonomous sections based in Canada.
“Violent acts of terrorism have no place in Canadian society or abroad,” Canadian Public Security Minister Bill Blair said in a statement. “Canadians expect their government to keep them safe and keep pace with evolving threats and global trends, such as the growing threat of ideologically-motivated violent extremism.”
Canada’s decision to designate the Proud Boys as a terrorist group put pressure on US officials to do the same. White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Wednesday that the Biden government’s national security team is examining “violence and this type of worrying group activity across the country” and will determine how to proceed as soon as the review is completed.
The Congressional Research Service said the Capitol uprising was an act of domestic terrorism, as defined by federal laws and regulations, and noted that the FBI identified the criminal activity of the Proud Boys as a threat from domestic terrorism. But the United States government currently does not formally designate domestic groups as terrorist organizations – that designation is reserved for foreign actors.
Former President Donald Trump had previously called for the antifa left militant group to be designated as a domestic terrorist group, but that would require the creation of a new legal mechanism. It is possible that Congress would pass a law creating this mechanism, but that would raise concerns about the government using the designation to infringe the First Amendment’s freedom of expression rights and target certain ideologies. If the Biden government wants to designate the Proud Boys as domestic terrorists, they are likely to face the same dilemma.
Proud boys individually began to face legal consequences for their role in the Capitol riot
Proud Boys members are being sued for their role in the events that led to the Capitol uprising.
The group’s leader, Henry “Enrique” Tarrio, was arrested two days before the insurrection for allegedly burning a Black Lives Matter banner that was stolen from a church in northwest Washington, DC, after a “Stop the Steal” rally in December . When he was arrested, the police found him in possession of two high-capacity firearms magazines. Consequently, he was charged with destruction of property and possession of a high-capacity power device.
Two additional members – Dominic Pezzola and William Pepe, both from New York – were charged with conspiracy last week to break into the Capitol building. Federal prosecutors said they “engaged in a conspiracy to obstruct, influence, prevent and interfere with police officers involved in their official duties in protecting the United States Capitol and its dependencies on January 6, 2021.”
The group vocally supported Trump and his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 elections, making appearances at several “Stop the Steal” rallies across the country. Trump refused to report them and other white supremacist organizations during a presidential debate with current President Joe Biden in October, instructing them to “step back and wait.” Trump later downplayed the claim, but many in the group took it as a command, embracing it as a rallying cry and placing it in their official merchandise.