Following the January 6th attacks on the US capitol, Canada has added the Proud Boys to their ongoing list of terrorist entities including groups like al-Qaeda, ISIS, and al-Shabab. This move comes as Public Safety Minister Bill Blair described the group’s ideology as, “violent,” and the “most significant threat to domestic security” in Canada. The Proud Boys were added to Canada’s official list of terrorist organizations among multiple other neo-nazi, Russian-nationalist, and middle-eastern militant groups. While no other country has officially labeled the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization, Canada has argued that the abundance of information that has been accumulated in the intelligence community since January 6th contributed to the decision.
The rise of right-wing extremist groups in recent years has worried national security officials across the globe, and Canada is no exception. There have been several recent instances of right-wing violence in the country, including fatal shootings of law enforcement officers in 2014 and worshippers at Quebec City mosque in 2017. While Blair has emphasized that the Proud Boys have met the criteria to be labeled a terrorist organization, the Canadian Anti-Hate Network has argued that this move only politicizes a legal process and an expansion of the definition of a terrorist entity could be wielded against anti-racist groups or people of color in the future.
Read More: Canada declares the Proud Boys a terrorist group
