Who are the Proud Boys, the supremacist group mentioned by Trump during the debate with Biden

They clashed with the Antifa in Portland and in the other cities presided over by Black Lives Matters: they are an Islamophobic and openly violent organization that Trump has asked to "stay alert"

(photo: John Rudoff / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) During the Sept. 29 debate between the two US presidential candidates, at one point, moderator Chris Wallace asked Trump if he was going to commit to condemning white supremacists and their militias to inside the country. The clashes between antifascites and supremacists are not a totally new phenomenon for the United States: they have occurred not only in recent months, following the death of George Floyd, but also in Charlottsville in 2017, on the occasion of the removal of the statue of the Confederate general Robert E. Lee.

As early as 2017, Trump blamed both sides on the pitch, despite the death of an anti-fascist protester. The other evening, after a brief hesitation, in addition to indicating the anti-fascists as the only culprits of violence, he also launched an appeal to the Proud Boys, a white supremacist group: "Stand back and stand by", that is, "Stay back and stay in alert ". The racial question in the United States, a variable frequency conflict that has been going on for centuries, is in fact a focal point of the electoral campaign for these elections. And an ambiguous statement like Trump's has warmed the hearts.

Who are the Proud Boys

The US extreme right (alt right) group was founded in 2016 by Gavin McInnes (also co-founder of Vice, from whom over time distanced himself) who often tried to deny any involvement in the actions of the Proud Boys. The organization is made up solely of men who call themselves Western chauvinists - refusing to admit women - and is known for its aggressive and violent attitudes. The Proud Boys are openly Islamophobic and have retrograde views on the role of women and the relationship between the sexes, so much so that they are often compared to the so-called incel. In recent months, the Proud Boys have clashed with Black Lives Matter activists in Seattle, Washington and Portland.

White Suprematism and Terrorism

According to Politico, the Department of US internal security has determined that white supremacists pose the most serious terrorist threat to the US at the moment. Even more serious than that coming from the outside: "Foreign terrorist organizations will continue to take action for attacks at home, but will likely remain limited in their ability to direct such plots next year," all three documents from the Security Department claim. internal. On the other hand, there is no reference to the Antifa groups, which even President Trump often describes as terrorists operating in America.