Name: Are the Proud Boys terrorists? Ottawa considers listing white supremacist groups alongside al-Qaida, Islamic
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Are the Proud Boys terrorists? Ottawa considers listing white supremacist groups alongside al-Qaida, Islamic

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To orderpresentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distributionto colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire aboutpermissions/licensing, please go to: OTTAWA—Canada’s national security agencies are “very actively” monitoring white supremacist groups and are considering designating more of them as terrorist organizations, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says.Blair’s office said in a statement Sunday that intelligence and law enforcement agencies were actively gathering evidence to list white supremacist groups like the Proud Boys as terrorist organizations — a designation that would place them on the same level as al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.“We strongly denounce ideologically motivated extremists including groups like the Proud Boys, white supremacists, (anti-Semites), Islamophobic and misogynist groups,” wrote Mary-Liz Power, a spokesperson for Blair’s office, in a statement to the Star.“Intolerance and hate have no place in our society.”Blair’s comments, first made in an interview with CTV News on Sunday, show a remarkable change in how federal authorities view the threat posed by white nationalists and far-right extremists in the last few years.Canada’s domestic intelligence agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), abandoned a rolling investigation into far-right groups in 2016. After the deadly 2018 shooting at a Quebec City mosque by a man believed to be influenced by far-right voices online, that investigation was reopened.Across western democracies — including the U.S. and U.K. —intelligence agencies have warned the threat of domestic far-right extremism is growing. In 2019, the federal government listed two white supremacist groups — Blood &amp; Honour and Combat 18 — as terrorist entities, the first far-right extremist groups given that designation by Canada.Now, in the wake of last week’s violent , more white supremacists groups may join that list — which would empower financial institutions to freeze the groups’ assets, and make it a crime to deal with them.The Proud Boys — a “western chauvinist” group spawned by a former Canadian far-right media personality — were front and centre in that riot. Famously told to “stand back and stand by” by President Donald Trump last year, the loosely organized movement has become a poster child for right-wing extremism in North America.While the exact makeup of the mob is unknowable, the Proud Boys clearly had a presence in Wednesday’s assault on the Capitol building. Several have been identified by American media, and the group’s leader was arrested in Washington two days before the riot.Blair’s office stressed that the listing of terrorist organizations is not a “political exercise.” Rather, the designation of a group requires evidence and intelligence, and follows a legal process.“Such listings send a strong message that Canada will not tolerate such acts of violence,” Power wrote.“Concretely, listings can help support possible criminal investigations and the prosecution of those offences.” Nevertheless, listing groups such as the Proud Boys alongside al-Qaida and Boko Haram runs the risk of becoming a political issue. Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole said his party approved of listing “various white supremacist groups as terrorist organizations.”“We will always support measures to keep Canadians safe from the threat of terror acts including from any group motivated by white supremacy,” O’Toole said in a statement Sunday.Leah West, a Carleton University professor and former national security lawyer, noted that there are specific criteria for whether a group meets the definition of a terrorist entity under Canadian law. It’s not enough to be hateful, or even to use violence, West noted.“There has to be an intent to intimidate a section of the population about their security, or to get the government to do something using violence, serious violence that could threaten someone’s life,” West said in an interview.“I don’t know if you can pin that kind of violence directly to the Proud Boys in the Capitol yet. Saying we have all three of those components based on what we saw in the Capitol, great, but you have to find that all within the Proud Boys.”But West said it was proper for Canadian authorities to be monitoring those groups and continuously assessing whether they meet the definition of a terrorist group.Amarnath Amarasingam, a Queen’s University researcher studying terrorism and extremism, said that the designation of far-right groups as terrorist entities should have happened sooner.“The discussion now is of course driven by recent events and political expediency, but I think the move is long overdue,” Amarasingam said in a statement to the Star. “Many of these groups do indeed pose a terrorist threat. They are violent, xenophobic, are actively plotting and preparing for a race war they think is imminent. If left unchecked, they will very much mobilize to violence at even higher levels than what we are used to seeing.” Read more about: JOIN THE CONVERSATION Q:Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)Sign InRegisterConversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the . The Star does not endorse these opinions.Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. Allrights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content isexpressly prohibited without the prior written consent of TorontoStar Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies ofToronto Star articles, please go to:

close This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To orderpresentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distributionto colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire aboutpermissions/licensing, please go to: OTTAWA—Canada’s national security agencies are “very actively” monitoring white supremacist groups and are considering designating more of them as terrorist organizations, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says.Blair’s office said in a statement Sunday that intelligence and law enforcement agencies were actively gathering evidence to list white supremacist groups like...

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Are the Proud Boys terrorists? Ottawa considers listing white supremacist groups alongside al-Qaida, Islamic

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