'Hateful and dangerous': Canada considers labeling Proud Boys as 'terrorist organisation'

In aftermath of US Capitol siege, Canian officials are considering designating far-right Proud Boys as a terrorist organisation alongside groups like Boko Haram, Isis and al-Qaida. In an interview with CTV media outlet, Cana’s public safety minister Bill Blair said that his office was closely watching and actively garing intelligence about groups such as Proud Boys. Blair called group “white supremacists, antisemitic, Islamophobic and misogynist” and furr ded that y’re all “hateful and dangerous”. 

Blair said, “We’re working very diligently to ensure that where evidence is available, where we have intelligence, that we’ll deal appropriately with those organizations”. 

minister’s office has t said when a determination on group’s status as a terror group will be me, however, Canian politicians, including federal NDP Leer Jagmeet Singh, have called on Cana to reassess domestic terror threat within country. Last week, Singh h also accused Proud Boys of helping to execute “an act of domestic terrorism” when members of group stormed US Capitol. In a tweet, he h said that ir founder is Canian and y operate in Cana. He ded that it was more urgent than ever that government works to immediately ban and dismantle all hate organisations operating in country. 

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Classified as “extremist organisation” by FBI

Proud Boys group was founded in 2016 by Canian Gavin McInnes. y h first me helines in Cana after five military reservists, dressed in group’s black and yellow shirts, disputed a protest by Indigeus community over a controversial statue. Later, group was banned by social media networks Facebook and Instagram after y violated platforms’ hate policies. Proud Boys are also classified as an “extremist organisation” by FBI. 

members of group view US President Donald Trump as a key ally. During presidential debates last year, when Trump was asked to condemn group, he inste h told Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by”. On January 6, members of group were also present during attack on Capitol. Several social media videos and pictures showed Proud Boys colours, patches, flags and apparel affiliated with group. 

w, if Cana designates Proud Boys as a “terrorist organisation”, it could open up a range of criminal sanctions on group. Its assets could be seized or forfeited by Canian authorities, although groups is unlikely to have large, hidden assets. According to Guardian, one former intelligence analyst also said that follow-on effects, however, could be more significant.

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