Proud Boys Officially Labelled ‘Terrorist Entity’ By Canada
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The Canadian government has officially listed Proud Boys as a ‘terrorist group’, following the violence at the US Capitol on January 6.
The group is among 13 groups who have been placed on the list amid a crackdown on far-right violence, the government confirmed earlier today, February 3.
Dubbing the group a ‘neo-fascist organisation’, Canada’s public safety minister, Bill Blair, said they had ‘played a pivotal role in the insurrection at the US Capitol’.
The threat of ‘ideologically motivated violent extremism has been identified as the most significant threat to domestic security in Canada’, Blair said.
‘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,’ he added, Reuters reports.
On Monday, February 1, Canadian parliament unanimously passed a motion which called on prime minister Justin Trudeau to designate the far-right, male-only organisation a terrorist entity.
The government should ‘use all available tools to address the proliferation of white supremacists and hate groups, starting with the immediate designating of Proud Boys as a terrorist entity,’ the motion stated.
Members of the group, which was founded in 1994, are among those who have been arrested and charged following the January 6 riots.
While the change does not make it a crime to be part of the group, members can still face consequences. The move gives banks the power to freeze assets of a member of the group and police can bring charges against anyone who financially supports them.
Three other right-wing groups, as well as those with links to al-Qaida, were also added to the list.
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Topics: News, Canada, Justin Trudeau, Neo-Nazi, Now, Proud Boys, right-wing, US Capitol Riots
