New Zealand Officially Declares Proud Boys A Terrorist Group

The New Zealand government announced they have labeled the far-right extremist group the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization.

The Proud Boys joins 18 other organizations, including the Islamic State, Al-Shabaab and The Base, a white nationalist group.

Though the Proud Boys are not known to have a robust membership in New Zealand, the government has been taking steps to curtail right-wing violence in the wake of the Christchurch shooting, where 51 worshipers were killed in the mosque.

Under the new ruling, it would be illegal to support, join or recruit for the Proud Boys in any way.

The reasoning for the ruling comes amidst the testimony from the January 6 Committee about the Proud Boys’ involvement in the Capitol Riot. After reviewing the evidence, the New Zealand government came out with a 28-page document listing the reasoning behind their move.

One of the items on the list includes the Proud Boy’s support for the “Great Replacement” theory, the belief that the white population is purposely being eradicated.

The finding also cited the reactionary and chauvinistic beliefs of the group.

“In public, APB leadership requires members to acknowledge and adhere to ‘western chauvinism,’ they actively encourage veneration of ‘traditional roles’ for women (i.e. ‘the housewife’), and they are politically ‘conservative,'” the paper stated. “As demonstrated below, the APB have adopted an extremist combination of these positions that is ideologically grounded in fascism.”

“APB leadership readily embrace and are unified in being directly and deliberately opposed to the liberalisation of US society, the diversification of the US population, and their fear of a demonised political ‘Left,'” the document continued.

Article by Bryan Aung