Proud Boys Celebrated Trump’s Remarks Towards Them to ‘Stand Back and Stand by’ During the Presidential Debate
On Tuesday, The Proud Boys celebrated Trump’s “stand by” remark made about them in the presidential debate.
The Proud Boys are a far-right, all-male group that engages in and promotes political violence. During the first presidential debate on Tuesday night, Trump was asked whether or not he condemns white supremacists and military groups, to which he responded “Proud Boys-stand back and stand by.”
It only took minutes for the far-right group to begin posting, in celebration on private social media channels. Members of the group even called the president’s comments “historic.” In another private messaging app members stated the president’s comments were an attempt to promote and encourage the group’s violent tactics. Members stated that after Trump’s remark, the group was already seeing a spike in potential new recruits.
It didn’t take much time for Joe Biden to get involved in the manner, noting the group was celebrating his remarks by retweeting and posting some of the comments circulating twitter.
There’s no other way to put it: the President of the United States refused to disavow white supremacists on the debate stage last night. pic.twitter.com/Q3VZTW1vUV
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 30, 2020
The Proud Boys describe themselves as a “pro-Western fraternal organization for men.” The group has recently been involved with a multitude of violent incidents at protests. Civil rights groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defamation League have condemned the Proud Boys and described them as a hate group. The Anti-Defamation League even referred to them as “white supremacists.” It isn’t just civil rights groups that have banned the group but social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter as well. The group was suspended from Twitter in August 2018, and Facebook in October 2018.
Trump later took back his remarks and claimed that he did know who the Proud Boys are and that they’ll have to stand down, and let law enforcement do their work. James Clyburn was interviewed on a Skype call with CNN and reacted to Trump’s remarks regarding The Proud Boys and claims he’s still waiting for him to denounce white supremacists.
“For him to ask them to stand down gives credence to them,” says Democratic Rep. James Clyburn about President Trump’s refusal to denounce the Proud Boys, a far-right group. “I’m still waiting on this man to denounce White supremacy, not just the Proud Boys.” pic.twitter.com/rvv6mcyjhd
— CNN (@CNN) October 1, 2020
There was definitely a lot that went down in the first presidential debate that took place Tuesday night. We’re still processing everything that was said, and there’s a lot to unpack, but our main takeaway is the importance of voting. If you are eligible to vote, use your voice. Vote early, vote by mail, vote on election day, any way you can, but cast in your ballots to exercise your right.
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