Proud Boys

It was something that should have never happened. This past Comfest in June 2019, members of the fascist group Proud Boys volunteered at Comfest and were welcomed. Despite the 2019 mission statement including the phrase “combating resurgent fascism” Proud Boys were allowed to pick up trash while wearing t-shirts and hats advertising their group and their beliefs, and after the objections of community groups who were alerted, were allowed to get free beer and police protection.

The saying goes, edgelords gotta edge. That would apply here except there is nothing edgy about 614 Magazine. The publications actual non-advertising content (which is thin) has never been very interesting. It's like the New Yorker for frat boys with a second grade reading level. The rest of their content is bar ads and stories about bars sprinkled with a mumbled review of whatever Dave Mathews Band knockoff is on it's latest “world” tour... of the arena district. When I worked at the Columbus Free Press it was referred to as “Eat here you drunk yuppie fuck monthly.” around the office.

On Saturday August 17th, the Neo-Nazi Proud Boys were marching in the Columbus suburb of Dublin, where they feel good and comfortable. Their comfortable support was not just for the President who supported them on twitter, but for their fellow Proud Boys in Portland Oregon. That bunch of fascists was marching alongside the group that organized the event, Patriot Prayer, and under the protection of an exceedingly violent Neo-Nazi organization called the American Guard.

Yesterday was a big day for Nazis all over the country. Donald Trump morning tweeted that Anti-Fascists are terrorist (see below). This was followed by a march by the Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer and the openly nazi American Guard in Portland Oregon with sticks, hammers and massive police protection. Meanwhile in Central Ohio two different Nazi groups showed the flag brazenly, openly and literally.

Former head of Vice Magazine and Proud Boys founder Gavin Mcinnes quit the hate organization several months ago after the antics of his followers on the streets of Manhattan threatened to keep him from moving in the upper class circles that he was accustomed to be in. He believed that sodomizing himself with a toy on his podcast to display his resistance to Islam (makes sense doesn't it?) was not enough to prove that he is just a self-described “western chauvinist” as opposed to a “white nationalist” or some other re-branding word commonly used to say “Nazi”.

Ample footage exists and is in circulation of Portland Police assisting the fascist group Patriot Prayer in attacking counter-demonstrators on August 4th.

Saturday night in Portland, the fascist group Patriot Prayer, along with the usual Proud Boy hangers on and other associated groups held a rally demanding the removal of Mayor Wheeler for failing to suppress anti-police brutality protestors. They came dressed in T-shirts covered in slogans proclaiming violence and even public executions as well as the standard khakis and yellow on black polo shirts. The group then marched with police escort to a vigil being held protesting the death of Patrick Kimmons on September 30th, and immediately attacked to prevent a flag from being burned.

Is was a late night on October 12th, when the band of fascists left the Republican Club on New York's Upper East Side. They had been listening to Proud Boys and Vice Magazine Founder Gavin McGinness give a speech. His speech celebrated the anniversary of the televised assassination of Inejiro Asanuma, head of the Japanese Socialist Party, by a young nationalist with a sword. McGinness thinks televised assassinations are a good thing and he brought a sword to illustrate his point.

Yesterday, August 4th, for the second time in under 40 days, Patriot Prayer and the Proud Boys marched against immigration and support of President Donald Trump. For the second time, police launched an unprovoked attack against antifascist protestors without warning but with their full arsenal of crowd control weapons. Tune 30th march by the same group attempted to use police escort to reach and attack an anti-ice encampment.

Nothing confirms journalistic integrity and investigative effectiveness like push back and spin. There is no better push back the threat of a frivolous lawsuit. A frivolous lawsuit has no purpose other than to intimidate, and to drain resources when it is used in an attempt to silence the press. Facing such a prospect head on, regardless of the cost in hourglass sand and treasure, is the proper thing for a news source to do. It is what is expected of us if we are to defend the public trust that is placed in us to find and report the truth.