Canadian officials, noting the “pivotal role” that the Proud Boys played during the Capitol siege, listed the group as a terrorist entity on Wednesday.
A Canadian official told the New York Times that the country was already considering the designation and pointed out that while the Capitol riot was a “contributing factor, it certainly wasn’t the driving force.”
The Proud Boys is a far-right group of self-described “Western chauvinists” that gained prominence for its clashes with far-left antifa groups over the summer. Two of its members were indicted on conspiracy charges and other crimes for their roles in storming the Capitol complex on Jan. 6.
“The group and its members have openly encouraged, planned, and conducted violent activities against those they perceive to be opposed to their ideology and political beliefs,” the Canadian government said in briefing materials.
“The group regularly attends Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests as counter-protesters, often engaging in violence targeting BLM supporters,” it added. “On January 6, 2021, the Proud Boys played a pivotal role in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.”
The new label means the Canadian government has the ability to seize assets from the group, although an official told the Associated Press that while membership alone doesn’t necessarily constitute a crime, if members engage in criminal acts, they may be charged for terrorist crimes.
A dozen other organizations were also added to Canada’s terrorism list, including groups affiliated with the Islamic State and al Qaeda, as well as white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups, such as the Atomwaffen Division, the Base, the Russian Imperial Movement.
It is unclear how many chapters of the Proud Boys exist in Canada. In its Wednesday designation, the government said that Proud Boys “espouse misogynistic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, and/or white supremacist ideologies and associate with white supremacist groups.”
