Canadian government to list Proud Boys as a terrorist group

 

The Canadian government will list the far-right Proud Boys movement as a terrorist group, the Star has learned.

The loosely organized “Western chauvinist” group is expected to be formally added to Canada’s “terrorist entity” list later today.

The Proud Boys came under increased scrutiny after the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol Building. News reports identified several Proud Boys members among the mob of Donald Trump supporters.

But sources told the Star last week that Canada’s intelligence agencies have been probing white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups for several months.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair’s office said last month that intelligence and law enforcement entities were “very actively” monitoring far-right and white supremacist groups.

“We strongly denounce ideologically motivated extremists including groups like the Proud Boys, white supremacists, (anti-Semites), Islamophobic and misogynist groups,” Blair’s office said in a January statement.

“Intolerance and hate have no place in our society.”

But the Proud Boys listing will come as a surprise to anti-hate and anti-fascist groups in Canada. While created by Gavin McInnes, a Canadian far-right media personality, the group’s Canadian chapters were believed to be disorganized and not particularly effective.

https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/2021/02/03/canadian-government-lists-proud-boys-as-a-terrorist-group.html