Latest news with #ProudBoys
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Sen. Markey presses the Small Business Administration for flying an extremist flag
After an 'Appeal to Heaven' flag — a Revolutionary War–era symbol that's been adopted by Christian nationalists — was hoisted over the Small Business Administration's headquarters during its flag day ceremony on June 11, Democratic Sen. Ed Markey is demanding answers. In a letter to SBA chief Kelly Loeffler, Markey, the ranking member on the Senate's Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, asked for written responses as to how the decision was made to fly the flag and whether Loeffler signed off on its use. (Loeffler posted photos to X of the event at which the 'Appeal to Heaven' flag was featured.) Markey wrote: In recent years, extremist movements that reject the legitimacy of our democratic institutions have co-opted the Appeal to Heaven flag. These include supporters of Donald Trump's 'Stop the Steal' campaign, which falsely claimed President Biden's 2020 electoral victory was fraudulent. On January 6, 2021, insurrectionists carried the Appeal to Heaven flag, and it has become a favored emblem of Christian nationalist and anti-government factions. Flying such a symbol at a federal agency on a day meant to honor the shared ideals represented by the American flag risks endorsing the messages of groups such as the Proud Boys and other white Christian nationalists, which seek to undermine the rule of law. Jon Lewis, a research fellow at Georgetown University's Program on Extremism, told Wired magazine that the SBA waving the Christian nationalist symbol should be 'shocking to anyone who doesn't want to live in a theocracy.' Lewis said the incident amounted to a clear success for extremists: Those who carried the Appeal to Heaven flag to the Capitol on January 6 did so because they truly believed they had the opportunity to inject Christian fundamentalism into the very foundation of our democracy, and the image of the same flag on the SBA will give them ample evidence they succeeded.' While the Appeal to Heaven flag originated during the American Revolution, it has since been repurposed — largely through the efforts of Christian nationalist figure Dutch Sheets — as a modern-day symbol for extremist Christians, as well as neo-Nazis and other extremist groups. Notably, the flag has also flown at a home of Supreme Court justice Samuel Alito and outside lawmakers' offices (Alito has said his wife raised the flag, and some, like Speaker Mike Johnson, have claimed to be unaware of its contemporary associations). Yet the flag flying above the SBA headquarters suggests that the upper echelons of the Republican Party are unafraid of being associated with Christian nationalists or election deniers who stormed the Capitol. This article was originally published on
Buzz Feed
4 days ago
- Politics
- Buzz Feed
Proud Boys Slam Trump For His Attack On Iran
The United States bombed underground uranium enrichment plants in Iran over the weekend, raising the specter of the U.S. plunging into yet another war in the Middle East. And President Donald Trump's far-right fanboys have three words for the man they have long proclaimed is the only leader fit to run the country. 'Fuck this shit,' a message from the Proud Boys Telegram account said Saturday. The missive appeared above a screengrab of the president's boasting on Truth Social after the U.S. bombing of Fordow, Natanza and Esfahan concluded and American planes had exited Iranian airspace. Only a week ago, the Proud Boys, perhaps known best for their assault on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, signaled that if Trump got the U.S. involved in a conflict between Israel and Iran, he would lose their support. Going to 'war for Israel' wasn't what Proud Boys signed up for when they voted for Trump last November, they said. After the bombings, the vitriol was high. One post on the Proud Boys Telegram appeared to compare Trump on the campaign trail versus Trump as president. An image of Trump on the campaign stump uses his official portrait. But as president, the Proud Boys used an image of Trump that appears to compare him to someone who is developmentally disabled. Insulting and degrading people — mostly women, immigrants and members of the LGBTQ+ community — is central to the group's foundational belief system. (The group's credo proclaims that 'western' men created the modern world and they 'refuse' to apologize for it.) The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. After Trump became president again in January, one of his first acts was to pardon rioters who attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The pardons were sweeping and indiscriminate, including everyone from misdemeanor offenders to individuals who committed felony assault against police. Proud Boys leader Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio, who was charged and convicted for his role in plotting the Jan. 6 attack after a monthslong trial, received his pardon in January. Tarrio was on track to serve 22 years in prison, the longest sentence handed down to any Jan. 6 defendant. With his newfound freedom, he was effusive with Trump while simultaneously vowing revenge against the officials who had prosecuted him. Until last weekend, things seemed downright paradisiacal between the far-right group and Trump: In May, Tarrio met Trump briefly at Mar-a-Lago while both of them were dining at the Florida club. Tarrio had been invited by a club member, The New York Times reported, and as Trump passed by Tarrio, who was dining with his mother, they were introduced. Trump reportedly told Tarrio he believed the far-right leader and other Jan. 6 defendants had been horribly mistreated. HuffPost.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 sue government for $100 million
WASHINGTON – Five members of the right-wing extremist group the Proud Boys who stormed the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 insurrection and were later pardoned by President Donald Trump are suing the government for more than $100 million. They allege the Justice Department and FBI violated their constitutional rights after arresting and jailing them for their participation in the effort to stop Congress from certifying former President Joe Biden's election victory in 2020. The Proud Boys and their families were subjected to forceful government raids, solitary confinement and cruel and unusual treatment, they argue in their lawsuit, which seeks $100 million in damages plus 6% post-judgment interest. The group, which filed the lawsuit June 6 in a federal court in Florida, includes Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio, Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Dominic Pezzola. In 2023, a jury convicted Tarrio, Rehl, Nordean and Biggs of entering a seditious conspiracy against the U.S. government. In several trials, each of the leaders of the group had been issued lengthy prison sentences, ranging from 22 to 15 years. On the first day of his return office in 2025, President Trump issued a sweeping clemency order, granting pardons to almost all of the more than 1,500 defendants who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and issuing sentence commutations to 14 others. In interviews with USA TODAY in February, most of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit defended their actions on Jan. 6 and said unequivocally they would do the same thing again. Some, including Tarrio and Rehl, hinted at the possibility of running for public office in the future. Read more: Sheriff? Congress? Criminal Justice reformer? Freed Proud Boys leaders have big plans 'I am an intelligent individual, and I've done a lot in the community as far as activism is concerned," Rehl said. "So, I'm experienced in that respect, and I believe I can really represent the people in a good way.' Contributing: Reuters Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@ Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Proud Boys who stormed Capitol sue government for $100 million
Miami Herald
7 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
A Miami Proud Boy wants us to snitch for the government, Cuba-style
When Enrique Tarrio, the former Proud Boys leader recently pardoned by President Donald Trump, showed up at a 'No Kings' protest in downtown Miami Saturday, he was greeted by chants of 'Send him back to jail' by protesters. But Tarrio wasn't there to make a political statement. He was there to promote an app called ICERAID that encourages users to report undocumented immigrants in exchange for cryptocurrency. He calls it patriotism. It's something far more dangerous. We've seen this tactic before. In 1960, Fidel Castro stood before a euphoric crowd in Havana and announced the creation of the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution — los comités — neighborhood watch groups that turned into grassroots informant networks. Their mission: expose Cubans seen as disloyal to the revolution. It was surveillance disguised as civic duty. Over six decades later, those networks still exist. And now, Tarrio — himself the son of Cuban exiles who fled that oppressive system — is championing a digital version. Instead of turning in 'counterrevolutionaries,' the new enemy is the undocumented immigrant. And instead of whispering to secret police, app users upload photos and locations of 'suspects' — and receive crypto as a reward. Until recently, Tarrio was serving a 22-year sentence for his seditious conspiracy conviction for his involvement in organizing the Jan. 6 attack. Now, though, he's dubbed himself the ICERAID czar and aligned himself with the Trump-era playbook of encouraging civilian tip-offs to fuel immigration crackdowns. The app has no official affiliation with the federal government. But it coincides with a troubling Department of Homeland Security campaign featuring a vintage-style Uncle Sam urging Americans to 'Report All Foreign Invaders.' The message is unmistakable: Spy on your neighbors. That's the same message Tarrio is pushing with this app. This is not patriotism. It's vigilantism cloaked in red-white-and-blue. Tarrio — who identifies as as Afro-Cuban, the Herald reported, and grew up in Little Havana — knows that Miami's Cuban exile community was shaped by the trauma of political surveillance and persecution. And yet, here he is, promoting the very thing so many Cuban families fled. In Castro's Cuba, a whisper could ruin a life. In Tarrio's America, a photo upload could mean detention and deportation. In Cuba, informants earned perks and privileges from the government for turning in those who did not support Castro's revolution. Here, it's crypto coins. But the goal is the same: normalize suspicion of one another and persecute and punish the perceived 'other.' What this app is encouraging people to do is not about protecting borders. It's not about law and order. It's about validating people's worst instincts — to profile, to assume guilt, to fuel the Trump administration-sponsored paranoia against immigrants. It doesn't take much imagination to see where this inform-on-your-neighbor fervor inevitably leads. Even ICE officials admits many of the tips they receive today come from jealous exes, spiteful neighbors and professional rivals. An app will only make that worse. All of this, of course, is unfolding against a backdrop of national political tension. Scapegoating immigrants is, once again, politically convenient. But that doesn't make it right; it makes it cruel. When governments — or their proxies like Tarrio — encourage citizens to turn on each other, the casualties aren't just those who are accused. It's democracy itself. Let's not make informing on a neighbor a civic virtue or a patriotic duty. And let's hope this app — and the ideology behind it — is a bust. Click here to send the letter.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proud Boys Say Trump Will Lose Their Support If He Goes To War With Iran
Turns out, there's a line the Proud Boys say they won't cross for President Donald Trump. The extremist group said on social media this week that it wouldn't be able to support the president if the U.S. were to become involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran. 'If the United States gets directly involved in the Israel-Iran conflict, the voters that voted for Trump because there was a hope that Trump was America First can no longer support Trump,' the Proud Boys account posted to Telegram on Wednesday. 'America First does not mean war for Israel. Donald Trump, focus on the health of our nation, period. We are crumbling. We are crippled with debt with no plan for a solution. Be the President you ran as.' Trump has approved attack plans for Iran but is withholding a final order to join Israel in the strikes, The Wall Street Journal reported first this week. We were made for this moment. HuffPost will aggressively, fairly and honestly cover the Trump administration. But we need your help. . The president said Thursday that he would have a decision within two weeks on whether the American military will directly attack Iran after Israel issued strikes on Iranian nuclear and military sites. Trump claimed his decision would be based on whether negotiations with Iran over the 'near future' of its nuclear program would occur. Historically, the Proud Boys have been among some of Trump's most fervent supporters. Many members endlessly promoted or repeated Trump's lies about the 2020 election being rigged, and some members carried banners bearing his name during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. Trump was asked on the presidential debate stage in 2020 if he would condemn white supremacists and, in particular, Proud Boys after a summer of clashes and violence involving the group. Trump instead told Proud Boys to 'stand back and stand by.' Trump's hawkish stance toward Iran has opened a schism among some conservatives. Even some of Trump's most vocal advocates, including former Fox News mouthpiece Tucker Carlson, have suggested that Trump and the United States at large were complicit in Israel's attacks on Iran. 'Years of funding and sending weapons to Israel, which Donald Trump just bragged about on Truth Social, undeniably place the U.S. at the center of last night's events,' Carlson wrote in a newsletter last week. Trump has said he isn't 'looking to fight.' 'But if it's a choice between fighting and them having a nuclear weapon, you have to do what you have to do,' he said from the Oval Office on Wednesday, the same day the Proud Boys put out their warning on Telegram. The Proud Boys' opposition to American involvement in foreign war isn't a concept outside of their wheelhouse: Members consider themselves ultra-nationalist, so-called 'western chauvinists' who believe it is their responsibility to preserve 'western' values. As noted by the Anti-Defamation League, the group has long embraced ideologies that reject women, immigrants and members of the LGBTQ+ community, often aligning itself with white nationalist values. This emphasis on the preservation of 'traditional' American values and a rejection of the 'Deep State' often returns to criticism of the military industrial complex. Many Proud Boys are also veterans; nearly all of the Proud Boys who were charged and convicted of seditiously conspiring to stop the certification of the 2020 election when attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, served in the military except for the group's leader, Henry 'Enrique' Tarrio. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment Friday. Trump Escalates His Feud With Tucker Carlson Over Israel And Iran Israeli Strikes On Iran Have Killed At Least 639 People, Rights Group Says Proud Boys' $100 Million Lawsuit Puts Trump In A Lose-Lose Position
