TORONTO, Ontario (CTV News) Anti-hate and civil rights groups are cautiously relieved the terrorist designation wasn’t expanded for the Proud Boys, which they say could have given law enforcement more leeway to surveil Black Lives Matter, Indigenous land defenders or others.
Critics have been worried about the definition of terrorism potentially being expanded since the federal government first publicly indicated it’d be considering adding the extremist group to its list of terrorist entities. This action followed the Proud Boys’ involvement in riots in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network, which monitors and researches hate groups, had been publically and privately lobbying the feds to ensure the neo-fascist Proud Boys fit the current criteria and officials “didn’t lower the bar” on the definition.
| Updated February 3, 2021
Canada has named 13 new groups as terrorist organizations, including far-right extremists the Proud Boys.
Public Safety Canada listed the Proud Boys as an “ideologically motivated violent extremist group” along with neo-Nazi groups Atomwaffen Division and The Base, and Russia-based nationalist group the Russian Imperial Movement.
Three Al Qaida, five Islamic State affiliates and Islamist militant group Hizbul Majahideen were also added to the list.
“The threat of ideologically motivated extremism has been identified as the most significant threat to domestic security in Canada,” said Public Safety Minister Bill Blair at a news conference Wednesday.
The decision to designate Proud Boys a terrorist group comes after it played a role in the insurrection in the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. The group’s leader was arrested two days before the riots there and several other members were arrested in the following days.
OTTAWA The Trudeau government is adding the Proud Boys and three other extreme right-wing groups to its list of terrorist organizations to address the sort of neo-fascism and white nationalism that boiled over in the U.S. last month.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announced Wednesday that the four right-wing groups are among 13 additions to the list, which include three groups linked to al-Qaida, four associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and one Kashmiri organization.
Groups on Canada s roster of terrorist entities, created after the 9/11 attacks on the United States, may have their assets seized, and there are serious criminal penalties for helping listed organizations carry out extremist activities.
Proud Boys among 13 groups added to Canada s list of terrorist organizations theglobeandmail.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from theglobeandmail.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Winnipeg Free Press By: Lee Berthiaume and Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press Posted:
Last Modified: 3:11 PM CST Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021
OTTAWA - The Trudeau government has added the Proud Boys and three other extreme right-wing groups to its list of terrorist organizations as it seeks to tackle the sort of neo-fascism and white nationalism that boiled over in the U.S. last month.
In this Jan. 6, 2021, file photo, people march with those who say they are members of the Proud Boys as they attend a rally in Washington in support of President Donald Trump. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Carolyn Kaster,
OTTAWA - The Trudeau government has added the Proud Boys and three other extreme right-wing groups to its list of terrorist organizations as it seeks to tackle the sort of neo-fascism and white nationalism that boiled over in the U.S. last month.