A judge in Washington, DC, ordered the co-founder and leader of the Proud Boys to remain outside the District of Columbia until his next hearing, after being accused on Monday of vandalism by a historically black church in the city.
The WTOP reported that DC Superior Court Judge Renee Raymond ordered Henry “Enrique” Tarrio to stay out of the district until his June hearing on an incident in December in which several individuals apparently affiliated with the Proud Boys were seen on video copying a “” Black Lives Matter “from the Metropolitan AME church in Washington, DC, before burning it.
Tarrio reportedly asked the judge to ban him only from the Black Lives Matter square near the White House in central DC, but the request was denied. Tarrio was arrested on Monday after his arrival in the city and charged with property destruction, and also received charges of possession of a gun after being found in possession of two illegal high-capacity firearms magazines.
During the hearing, Raymond reportedly indicated that he did not believe that signs, banners and other personal effects in support of the Black Lives Matter movement around the city would be safe if Tarrio was allowed in the city.
“There are banners, posters, billboards, ‘Black Lives Matter’ signs in front of people’s homes and the like throughout Washington, DC,” she said, according to the WTOP.
Tarrio, who is Afro-Cuban, denied that the right-wing organization Proud Boys, which he co-founded with former Vice Media executive Gavin McInnes, is a racist organization, although its members often advocate racist and sexist remarks.
The group clashed frequently with left-wing protesters, often violently, and declared opposition to the Black Lives Matter movement and support for police members.