The Proud Boys, the bizarre far-right street fighters behind violence in New York

[Dead Moose Fandango]

They used to be until Antifa's actions validated their existencen and started getting them fans and recruits.

Eh. That's like saying the Black Panthers actions would validate a subgroup of the KKK to rise up and form a group all their own. The members were already racist pricks whose prior actions and general worsening culture in the US caused the formation of Antifa to counter the racits/bigots.

Mind you, I think Antifa, while a violent group all its own, seems to be getting attributed with actions of otherwise groups of strangers reacting to this worsening culture.

[GreenJesus]

Never heard of these guys until the New York thing. Honestly they sound like douchebags. Anyone that wastes their time protesting is probably a douchebag.

[Deleted]

If the Proud Boys are starting violence, they should be arrested - it's as simple as that, same goes for all other groups doing it

Law and order is really important for society to function, and groups running around the streets looking to fight are simply criminals, nothing more

EDIT: Vox: "To deflect criticism over their use of violence, the Proud Boys often argue that the violence was started by "antifa." There's a problem with that: antifa doesn't exist"

Can anyone defend this, or is Vox just pure fake news / propaganda a la Infowars now

[Naked Snake]

This group is so obviously just a joke.

The Proud Boys have a four-degree initiation process for new members.[15] In the first degree, a recruit must declare "I am a Western chauvinist who refuses to apologize for creating the modern world."[22] The second degree involves five or more Proud Boys punching the recruit until he names five breakfast cereals.

The Proud Boys discourages its members from masturbating and watching pornography so as to motivate them to get "off the couch" and meet women.

[Orbitus]

This group is so obviously just a joke.

Again, posting a fucking wiki article from the leader, doesn't help you. Meanwhile all of the evidence points to the opposite. Thanks though.

[Grimbold21]

You can't ask people to do a little research and start your own thread with a Vox article.

As for the violence matter, if they advocate that, they already lost, and in that sense are no different from anyone or any group that makes use of violent action to combat their opponents.

[Draco-Onis]

They used to be until Antifa's actions validated their existence and started getting them fans and recruits.

Funny how society works, isn't it? You push a group of people too much, and they start pushing back.

So you are saying that Antifa made these people racists assholes

Nope these guys were totes good people before Antifa showed up /s

[Barnabas]

https://www.vox.com/2018/10/15/17978...n-gop-violence

There's been a lot of discussion here lately about right-wing groups like the Proud Boys and there supposed battles with "antifa." If you do a little research, a couple things become clear.

Groups like the Proud Boys stand out from other alt-right groups in that they advocate political violence. There group's founder, Gavin McInnes, has directly called for violence to solve political problems. Not only has he praised the assassination of politicians, he's gone so far to publicly re-enact the murder of a Japanese socialist with other members of the Proud Boys group. They speak about the necessity of political violence frequently. It is their primary tenet.

To deflect criticism over their use of violence, the Proud Boys often argue that the violence was started by "antifa." There's a problem with that: antifa doesn't exist, not as any kind of political group. Proud Boys and similar groups simply describe anyone they get in a fight with as antifa. The pattern goes like this: they go out in large groups, consume alcohol, look for fights, shout loud and provocative things (including hatred for minorities such as Muslims and Jews). Eventually the attack someone or someone attacks them. Later they tell the press they were attacked by "antifa." This has led to a lot of confusion, including reports that make it sound like two separate groups, the Proud Boys and antifa, are at war with each other. The victim-hood narrative is so important to the Proud Boys that they've created fake social media accounts in which they pretend to be antifa to send threatening messages. There's a reason why there's no prominent member of antifa to point to or interview. There are occasionally counter-protesters, but the idea that they're part of a single entity called antifa is a delusion. In reality, all we have here is an angry, violent gang that goes out looking for fights.

Ever notice how "antifa" didn't appear to attack Tea Party rallies, or Trump rallies, or never got mentioned apart from these very specific groups? It is because these groups were created to seek out violence, and they need the myth of antifa so they can claim that videos of them beating up people somehow represent self-defense.

Who cares who started it? Just arrest both groups when violence breaks out. Nobody gets bail until they see a judge.

[Skroe]

The alt right is very impressive at finding new ways to illustrate the amount of chlorine in their gene pool.

[BigToast]

You can't ask people to do a little research and start your own thread with a Vox article.

As for the violence matter, if they advocate that, they already lost, and in that sense are no different from anyone or any group that makes use of violent action to combat their opponents.

Just like World War II, right? There were Nazis and people fighting Nazis. You know "very fine people on both sides."

[Deleted]

The majority of fights ive seen were started by Antifa

https://www.liveleak.com/view?t=sI5Lw_1539636156

Dont dress like a hoodlum and throw bottles at people if you don't want to fight.

Lol, the quality gets better.

- - - Updated - - -

It goes both ways here. Dont act like Antifa are angels here. Proud Boys are pretty shitty themselves, but theres never any excuse for this shit.

Ha ha ha ha

Ha ha

[Cizr]

Antifa does not exist? Seems like a pretty unbiased opinion OP Why would you lie to us like that?

[D Luniz]

Antifa get these alt-right groups on the news, giving them $millions in free publicity. Free publicity that gets them recruits and legitimacy.

Thanks Antifa.

Rather sure its people like the GOP group that they were invited by (which is why they were in NYC starting shit) that grants them some semblance of legitimacy

[Cizr]

If the Proud Boys are starting violence, they should be arrested - it's as simple as that, same goes for all other groups doing it

This. Its really simple yet lot of people on MMO champ believe that their side can be violent for some reason.

- - - Updated - - -

https://twitter.com/nathanTbernard/s...07052498587648

proud boys are a gang. they have a gang initiation that says you have to have been in a street brawl to be an official member.

They actively went searching for people to beat up, like playing that knockout game.

If they were black i doubt you'd be defending them.

How can they be "white nationalist gang" when they have non white members?

[Machismo]

Yes, they are racist trash, that is evident. However, I do enjoy watching people defend ethno-nationalists, they are nothing if not predictable.

[Radical Centrist]

There's been a lot of discussion here lately about right-wing groups like the Proud Boys and there supposed battles with "antifa." If you do a little research, a couple things become clear.

Groups like the Proud Boys stand out from other alt-right groups in that they advocate political violence. There group's founder, Gavin McInnes, has directly called for violence to solve political problems. Not only has he praised the assassination of politicians, he's gone so far to publicly re-enact the murder of a Japanese socialist with other members of the Proud Boys group. They speak about the necessity of political violence frequently. It is their primary tenet.

To deflect criticism over their use of violence, the Proud Boys often argue that the violence was started by "antifa." There's a problem with that: antifa doesn't exist, not as any kind of political group. Proud Boys and similar groups simply describe anyone they get in a fight with as antifa. The pattern goes like this: they go out in large groups, consume alcohol, look for fights, shout loud and provocative things (including hatred for minorities such as Muslims and Jews). Eventually the attack someone or someone attacks them. Later they tell the press they were attacked by "antifa." This has led to a lot of confusion, including reports that make it sound like two separate groups, the Proud Boys and antifa, are at war with each other. The victim-hood narrative is so important to the Proud Boys that they've created fake social media accounts in which they pretend to be antifa to send threatening messages. There's a reason why there's no prominent member of antifa to point to or interview. There are occasionally counter-protesters, but the idea that they're part of a single entity called antifa is a delusion. In reality, all we have here is an angry, violent gang that goes out looking for fights.

Ever notice how "antifa" didn't appear to attack Tea Party rallies, or Trump rallies, or never got mentioned apart from these very specific groups? It is because these groups were created to seek out violence, and they need the myth of antifa so they can claim that videos of them beating up people somehow represent self-defense.

I don't know what to think about McInnis and his group. I don't know a lot about them, but it sort of seems like all they really are for, is showing up when Antifa shows up, and "make themselves available for violence", as McInnis puts it. He seems like more of a troll to me, than an alt-right racist. Can anyone link some of the stuff these guys are saying, that is bigoted, etc.?

To the OP: Saying Antifa isn't an actual thing, when they even have a copyrighted logo, is a bit of an odd stance. I mean, I get it that they are grass roots chapters, and not a world wide monolithic movement, but they are not exactly Anonymous. Facebook has many Antifa pages that people join and share. Some people openly admit their affiliation, despite wearing masks to their riots, for obvious police reasons.

I think we could do without all the violence from both sides. Especially over things as stupid as fascism or communism, that have zero chance of ever being undertaken in any Western society. So why fight over them?

[JohnBrown1917]

And last time they beat up some people in NYC the cops just watched and did fuck all. Some strong anti-fascist matters need to be taken in the US, its getting worse and worse.

[XDurionX]

They're just a bunch of hooligans and thugs.

[JohnBrown1917]

They used to be until Antifa's actions validated their existence and started getting them fans and recruits.

Funny how society works, isn't it? You push a group of people too much, and they start pushing back.

Here is a hint, its called antifa because its a reaction to fascism.

- - - Updated - - -

They're just a bunch of hooligans and thugs.

Welcome to fascism on the streets.

[Deleted]

Im not disagreeing with you at all. Im just saying it does go both ways. I just personally believe that if you're Far Right/left you need to be called out on your bullshit from everyone.

Why treat the two extremesvthe same though?

You realize one side wants genocide, the other is against that.

Why dog you think both sides are equally bad?