Proud Boys

Named after	"Proud of Your Boy"
Formation	2016; 8 years ago (2016)
Founder	Gavin McInnes
Type	Far-right men's organization[1][2]
Headquarters	New York City
Region	International

Proud Boys is a far-right men's organization^[1][2][3][4] founded in 2016 by Vice Media co-founder and former commentator Gavin McInnes. McInnes describes the organization as a "pro-Western fraternal organization" for men who "refuse to apologize for creating the modern world."^[5] The group has been referred to as alt-right or alt-lite.^[6][7]

The group takes its name from the showtune "Proud of Your Boy," a song introduced in the 2011 stage-show version of Disney's Aladdin.^[7][8]

In 2017, Kyle Chapman, nicknamed "Based Stickman," formed a new wing of the Proud Boys called the "Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knights" (FOAK).^[9][10]

Member initiation

The Proud Boys have a four-degree initiation process for new members.^[11] In the first degree, a recruit must declare “I am a Western chauvinist who refuses to apologize for creating the modern world.”^[12] According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, the second degree involves five or more Proud Boys punching the recruit until he names five breakfast cereals. To earn the third degree, the recruit must get a Proud Boy tattoo.^[13] The fourth degree requires the recruit to get into a physical fight with an anti-fascist activist at a public rally.^[14]

Events

New York University

In February 2017, McInnes arrived at New York University to give a speech, accompanied by a group of about ten Proud Boys. Minor violence broke out between Proud Boys and anti-fascist protesters, and the NYPD said that eleven people faced criminal charges. One member of the Proud Boys encouraged others to fight the "faggots wearing black that won’t let us in", and was later arrested for punching a reporter from DNAinfo.^[15][16]

2017 Berkeley protests

At the 2017 March 4 Trump rally in Berkeley, California, Kyle Chapman was recorded hitting a counter-protester over the head with a wooden dowel. Images of Chapman went viral, and the Proud Boys organized a crowdfunding campaign for Chapman's bail after his arrest. After this, McInnes invited Chapman to become involved with the Proud Boys, through which he formed the Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knights.^[17]

On April 15, 2017, a Patriot's Day rally was organized in Berkeley by the Liberty Revival Alliance, which did not seek or receive a permit, and was attended by members of the Proud Boys.^[18] Violence broke out between protestors and counter-protesters, with over 20 people arrested and 11 injured.^[19]

Disruption of Halifax Indigenous Peoples' Protest

On July 1, 2017, five Canadian Armed Forces members who self-identified as Proud Boys disrupted a protest organized by Indigenous activists, in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Canada Day. General Jonathan Vance, the head of the CAF, later stated that the five would be removed from training and duties as the military investigated and reviewed the circumstances surrounding their actions. General Vance also indicated that the members could possibly be released from the CAF permanently.^[3][20] Rear Admiral John Newton, Commander of the Maritime Fleet of the Royal Canadian Navy, was "personally horrified" by the incident and said the Proud Boys were "clearly a white supremacist group and we fundamentally stand opposed to any of their values."^[21]

On August 14, 2017, the CAF confirmed that the investigation had been concluded.^[22] Later that month, Newton announced that four of the members had returned to duty, stating that the CAF had taken "appropriate measures to address individual shortcomings" and warning, “Any further inappropriate behavior could result in their termination from the Canadian Armed Forces.”^[23]

Unite the Right rally

In June, McInnes disavowed the then-upcoming Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.^[24] Proud Boys were at the August 2017 alt-right event, which was organized by far-right activist Jason Kessler. Kessler had joined the Proud Boys some time before organizing the event.^[25][26][27] McInnes said he had kicked Kessler out after his views on race had become clear.^[24] After the rally, McInnes wrote on the Proud Boys website that neither the Proud Boys nor the Alt-Knights were alt-right.^[28]

Kyle Chapman

In August 2017, Chapman was charged with possessing a lead-filled stick that he allegedly used to strike protesters at a rally in Berkeley, California on March 4.^[29] Chapman has two past felony convictions – a 1993 felony robbery conviction in Texas and a 2001 grand theft conviction in California.^[30] Due to his past criminal history and the violent nature of the Texas robbery, Chapman could receive a double sentence under California’s "Three Strikes" law and faces a maximum sentence of seven to eight years in prison if convicted.^[31] He has previously spent a total of ten years in prison for the 1993 and 2001 convictions.^[32]

Ten tenets

The ten tenets of the Proud Boys are: 1) “venerating the housewife,” 2) closing all prisons, 3) arming the citizenry with guns, 4) legalizing drugs, 5) ending welfare, 6) ending immigration, 7) banning censorship, 8) glorifying entrepreneurs, 9) recognizing “the West is the Best,” and 10) shutting down the government.^{[12][dubious – discuss]}

Unofficial uniform

The Proud Boys have adopted a black Fred Perry polo shirt with yellow piping as their unofficial uniform.^[33] Fred Perry was previously associated with the Mod subculture and skinhead groups,^[33][34] including the British National Front.^[35] Fred Perry’s CEO John Flynn denounced the affiliation with the Proud Boys in a statement to CBC Radio saying, "We don't support the ideals or the group that you speak of. It is counter to our beliefs and the people we work with.”^[34]

References