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We Are Proud Boys: How a Right-Wing Street Gang Ushered in a New Era of American Extremism

We Are Proud Boys: How a Right-Wing Street Gang Ushered in a New Era of American Extremism

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  • Create Date：2022-09-25 17:21:42
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Andy Campbell
  • ISBN：0306827468
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Summary

A gripping investigation into the nation’s most notorious far-right group， revealing how they created a new blueprint for extremism and turned American politics into a blood sport

After the 2016 election， Americans witnessed a frightening trend: the sudden rise of a host of new extremist groups across the country。 Emboldened by a new president， they flooded political rallies and built fervent online presences， expanding rapidly until they were a regular sight at everyday demonstrations。 Amid the chaos， one group emerged as a leader among the others， with matching outfits， bizarre rituals， and a reputation for violence: the Proud Boys。

From leading extremism reporter Andy Campbell， We Are Proud Boys is the definitive narrative exploration of this notorious street gang and all the far-right movements they’re connected to。 Through groundbreaking new reporting， Campbell delivers the untold story of a gang of blundering， punch-happy goons who grew to become the centerpiece of American extremism and positioned themselves as the unofficial enforcement arm of the GOP。 Beginning with their founding by Gavin McInnes， the media personality best known for co-founding VICE， Campbell takes us deep into the Proud Boys， laying bare their origins and their rise to prominence。 As he exposes the group's noxious culture and strange rituals， he reveals how the ultimate project of the Proud Boys–to desensitize Americans to political violence–has succeeded entirely， culminating with Republicans calling the January 6 insurrection "legitimate political discourse。" The bizarre， frightening story of the Proud Boys reveals the playbook they have created for domestic extremism， giving us the necessary insight to push back against radicalism in America before it swallows our democracy whole。
 

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Reviews

Randal White ，

An important book for the times we are living in。 Honestly， people need to wake up and become more aware of the dangers in our midst， for example the "Proud Boys'。 The author does an excellent job of chronicling who and what this hate group is。 Where they came from， how they are organized， and their goals。 Basically a bunch of thugs and bullies who like fighting （when they outnumber their victims） and chose "conservative values" as their rallying cry， the Proud Boys seized onto the Trump bandwag An important book for the times we are living in。 Honestly， people need to wake up and become more aware of the dangers in our midst， for example the "Proud Boys'。 The author does an excellent job of chronicling who and what this hate group is。 Where they came from， how they are organized， and their goals。 Basically a bunch of thugs and bullies who like fighting （when they outnumber their victims） and chose "conservative values" as their rallying cry， the Proud Boys seized onto the Trump bandwagon as their savior。 And he was more than willing to use them and promote them for his own needs。 Any student of history can recognize the parallels between Trump and Hitler in promoting this type of hate group， and their using them for their own personal militia。 It's terrifying that we have not squashed this group through proactive law enforcement actions。 Hopefully， if enough people become aware and start to push for action， we can stop this group （and others like it） before it is too late。 This is a frightening， disturbing book。 It will make you angry。 It will make you question why they are allowed to form and exist in today's world。 I hope it will cause you to become active in pushing for action against them。 Before it's too late！ 。。。more

Morgan ，

We Are Proud Boys is a great entry book for anyone looking to learn more about the Proud Boys and their tactics。 I went into this book knowing a little more than the average reader， but I still walked away with some new knowledge。 Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for the e-ARC of this book。

This Feral Housewife ，

This one takes an open mind to read。 You will get an inside look at a unique organization and how they behave。 You will not like them。 I do admire the author for having the balls to write this book though。

Pauline Stout ，

* Free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review *This book is a scathing expose on the street gang/political group known as the Proud Boys。 Starting with the founder of the group it goes into detail about the members both past and present （and why being a past member doesn’t mean all that much in the long run）， the ideas/practices of the group members and the group as a whole， it’s violent and bloody history， and the police/politicians that they are involved with。 It tells * Free copy of this book was provided in exchange for an honest review *This book is a scathing expose on the street gang/political group known as the Proud Boys。 Starting with the founder of the group it goes into detail about the members both past and present （and why being a past member doesn’t mean all that much in the long run）， the ideas/practices of the group members and the group as a whole， it’s violent and bloody history， and the police/politicians that they are involved with。 It tells at tale of racism， bigotry， xenophobia， misogyny， and extreme and bloody brutal violence starting and their founding， leading up to the capital riot/invasion and beyond。 There is also a small segment all about antifa （what the group is， what their members are like， their ideology， and their relationship to the Proud Boys and other groups like them）。I admit that before I read this I knew almost nothing about the Proud Boys。 I knew they were a group of Trump supporters but I don’t watch much news （especially far right news sources） and I haven’t been very active in politics。 Reading about all of the things that the group and members of the group have been allowed to get away with， at times with the full protection and support of police and politicians is incredibly frustrating。 The Proud Boys are extremists that get drunk and pick fights on purpose but they are the people that are usually sided with by the local police。 You would think that any group that encourages and takes part in this kind of violence and extremism wouldn’t be able to thrive like they have but apparently that’s wrong。 The fact that they have such a long history of open and public violence and downright terrorism is deeply unsettling。This is very well written and researched in my opinion。 The Proud Boys like to call themselves a simple drinking club but that point is very hard to argue with their history。 They claim to only resort to violence in self defense but that is very plainly not true。 I will admit that it took me longer to read than books this size usually do and I think it was because of the subject matter。 I could only read so much of it at a time。 A lot of the content is quotes from group members and exchanges pulled from chat logs which can be very difficult to read。 I swear I got a headache every time I read some of this。That being said I really do love this book。 It’s a valuable resource for information about the group。 I highly recommend this read。 。。。more

Chet ，

Let’s get one thing out of the way before we get started unpacking this book。 Andy Campbell is not an unbiased reporter， giving “just the facts”。 This is evident from the beginning， when Campbell repeatedly refers to the Proud Boys as “goons” and other rather elementary names。 Campbell is an editor for The Huffington Post， which is not exactly known for it’s unbiased reporting in the first place， so you should know going in that there may be some things that aren’t exactly given to you straight。 Let’s get one thing out of the way before we get started unpacking this book。 Andy Campbell is not an unbiased reporter， giving “just the facts”。 This is evident from the beginning， when Campbell repeatedly refers to the Proud Boys as “goons” and other rather elementary names。 Campbell is an editor for The Huffington Post， which is not exactly known for it’s unbiased reporting in the first place， so you should know going in that there may be some things that aren’t exactly given to you straight。 The thing is， this doesn’t necessarily make him wrong。 The Proud Boys are a big group of “goons”。 They are， for the most part， violent racists， who want to literally destroy anyone and anything they disagree with politically。 These guys are a street gang， plain and simple。 They’re the same as the Bloods and the Crips。 The difference is that these “goons” have somehow convinced everyday people that they’re the good guys， fighting for freedom wherever there’s trouble， like G。I。 Joe。 Campbell does a great job explaining the history of the Proud Boys and the awful humans who lead them like Gavin McInnes and Enrique Tarrio。 Campbell may not give “just” the facts and let’s his opinions shine through regularly， but he does provide a lot of factual information。 There’s enough verifiable evidence here to understand that the Proud Boys are a danger to the American way of life， not it’s saviors。 It may be Andy Campbell’s opinion that the Proud Boys are a bunch of dimwitted， drunken buffoons…but he’s not wrong and he backs it up within these pages。 In We Are Proud Boys， Andy Campbell begins with the origins of the Proud Boys hate group and follows them up through the January 6， 2021 insurrection and the immediate fallout。 The book spends a lot of time explaining how Donald Trump and his group of sycophants in the GOP assisted in the Proud Boys’ rise and rapid growth over the past several years。 From Trump’s “Stand back， Stand by” comment during the 2016 Presidential debates through his encouragement to violently take over the United States government， it’s all here。 What is also here is a lot of evidence that the Proud Boys and other right wing extremist groups have gained much popularity with the right-wing populace in the U。S。 and given rise to the notion that it’s ok to hurt people as long as you’re hurting people with whom you disagree politically…or if you simply don’t like them。 So， is We Are Proud Boys a good book？ It’s well-written and informative and honestly， it’s interesting as hell to read about how a bigoted， semi-intelligent immigrant could start an entire movement based on drinking， hatred and violence。 Yet， it’s also terrifying that this many people think the way these people do and more so that it’s only going to get worse， especially if Trump manages to con his way into a second term in the future。 I only wish Andy Campbell would have kept his own politics out of things a little more。 Not that I necessarily disagree with them， but a book like this is bound to incite rebuttals from the players mentioned and those that support them。 They aren’t going to care about the facts presented， they’ll focus on Campbell’s own leanings coming through in these pages and spin it as a hit piece by a disgruntled Leftie。 I also wish Campbell would have talked a little about violent left-wing groups just to preemptively counter those counterarguments。 The book does make it sound like left-wingers are almost always peaceful， which is not the case either。 In other words， it’s worth mentioning that there are two sides to extremism。 Still， it’s an important book， whether your politics lean left or right。 It’s important that people understand what this group and those like them really are and how their actions are not appropriate in any society。 Maybe if more people knew what was really going on， they wouldn’t be so quick to support them。 Thank you to Netgalley and Hachette Books for providing me with an ARC of this book。 。。。more

Jim Williamson ，

A must read for any one who wants to learn about the beginnings and workings of this group。

Viola ，

Note via OPB Lawyer: FBI enlisted Proud Boys leader to inform on antifaBy MICHAEL KUNZELMAN， MICHAEL BALSAMO and GILLIAN FLACCUS （Associated Press）March 31， 2021 6:33 a。m。Image: Joe Biggs， a member of the Proud Boys and former staffer at the conspiracy site Infowars， speaks to white supremacist demonstrators in Portland， Ore。， Saturday， Aug。 17， 2019。 Biggs organized the rally to "end antifa，" referencing antifascist protesters who often show up to counter white supremacist groups in Portland。Br Note via OPB Lawyer: FBI enlisted Proud Boys leader to inform on antifaBy MICHAEL KUNZELMAN， MICHAEL BALSAMO and GILLIAN FLACCUS （Associated Press）March 31， 2021 6:33 a。m。Image: Joe Biggs， a member of the Proud Boys and former staffer at the conspiracy site Infowars， speaks to white supremacist demonstrators in Portland， Ore。， Saturday， Aug。 17， 2019。 Biggs organized the rally to "end antifa，" referencing antifascist protesters who often show up to counter white supremacist groups in Portland。Bradley W。 Parks / OPB ）FBI agents recruited a Proud Boys leader to provide them with information about antifa networks months before he was charged with storming the U。S。 Capitol with other members of the far-right extremist group， a defense attorney says。Proud Boys “thought leader” and organizer Joseph Biggs agreed to provide the FBI with information about anti-fascist activists in Florida and elsewhere after an agent contacted him in late July 2020 and arranged to meet at a restaurant， Biggs’ lawyer， J。 Daniel Hull， wrote Monday in a court filing。The two agents who met with Biggs wanted to know what he was “seeing on the ground，" Hull said。 Over the next few weeks， Biggs answered an agent's follow-up questions in a series of phone calls。"They spoke often，" added Hull， who is petitioning a judge to keep Biggs out of jail pending trial。The defense lawyer's claims buttress a widely held view among left-leaning ideological opponents of the Proud Boys that law enforcement has coddled them， condoned their violence and even protected them during their frequent street brawls with anti-fascists。 The Proud Boys even have counted some law enforcement officers among their ranks， including a Connecticut police officer and a Louisiana sheriff's deputy。Biggs also received “cautionary” phone calls from FBI agents and routinely spoke with local and federal law enforcement officials in Portland， Oregon， about rallies he was planning there in 2019 and 2020， according to Hull。“These talks were intended both to inform law enforcement about Proud Boy activities in Portland on a courtesy basis but also to ask for advice on planned marches or demonstrations， i。e。， what march routes to take on Portland streets， where to go， where not to go，” Hull wrote。FBI Director Christopher Wray has said there was no evidence that antifa was to blame for the Jan。 6 violence。 But that hasn't stopped some on the right from making the claims。Antifa was the Trump administration's villainous scapegoat for much of last year's social unrest following the death of George Floyd。 Trump and then-Attorney General William Barr blamed antifa activists for some of the violence at protests over police killings of Black people across the U。S。The FBI and the Justice Department had launched a number of investigations into extremist groups around that time。 They were focused on whether people were violating federal law by crossing state lines to commit violence or whether anyone was paying to send antifa followers to commit violence， a law enforcement official told The Associated Press。 The official could not discuss the investigations publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity。FBI agents responded to police stations in several cities， including New York， to question suspects arrested during protests and focused on those who self-identified as followers of the movement， the official said。But investigators struggled to make any cases， in part because there is no hierarchical structure to antifa; it's not a single organization but rather an umbrella term for far-left-leaning militant groups that confront or resist neo-Nazis and white supremacists at demonstrations， according to the official。The FBI would not comment on why agents were meeting with Biggs or why the bureau was trying to solicit information about antifa through the Proud Boys。Biggs， 37， of Ormond Beach， Florida， wouldn't be the first Proud Boys informant。 The group's chairman and top leader， Enrique Tarrio， previously worked undercover and cooperated with investigators after he was accused of fraud in 2012， court documents show。Eric Ward， executive director of the Portland-based Western States Center， which tracks hate groups， said it was “deeply concerning” to learn that Biggs had worked with the FBI， particularly because law enforcement has “frequently maintained inappropriately close relations with far-right groups。" The Proud Boys actively promoted violence and street brawling at the rallies in Portland， he said， and Biggs “called for violence in the streets。”“Law enforcement has no credible reason for working with someone like Biggs。 It’s long past time for a clear accounting of institutional and professional law enforcement relationships with groups espousing political violence at home and abroad，” Ward wrote in an email。Biggs and three other Proud Boys leaders were indicted March 10 on charges that they planned and carried out a coordinated attack on the Capitol on Jan。 6 to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden's electoral victory。 At least 20 others in the group have been charged in federal court with offenses related to the riots out of about 350 people charged so far in the deadly riot。Proud Boys members describe themselves as a politically incorrect men’s club for “Western chauvinists。” Vice Media co-founder Gavin McInnes， who founded the Proud Boys in 2016， sued the Southern Poverty Law Center for labeling it as a hate group。 In response， the law center said Proud Boys members often spread “outright bigotry” over the internet and have posted social media pictures of themselves with prominent Holocaust deniers， white nationalists and “known neo-Nazis。”Justice Department prosecutors want to jail Biggs while he and the others await trial because he “presents a danger not only based on his own potential violence， but violence by others who undoubtedly still support him。"But Biggs' lawyer said the incarceration bid hinges on evidence that is speculative at best。“Importantly， the FBI has known about his political commentary and role in planning events and counter-protests in Portland and other cities since at least July 2020 and arguably benefitted from that knowledge in efforts to gather intelligence about Antifa in Florida and Antifa networks operating across the United States，” Hull wrote。The disclosures are reminiscent of an earlier collaboration between law enforcement and a right-wing group in Portland during repeated clashes between left- and right-wing demonstrators。 The far-right group Patriot Prayer staged multiple rallies and marches in the liberal city， drawing out hundreds of residents to oppose its message in standoffs that sometimes ended in violence。In 2019， Portland opened an internal investigation after more than 11，500 text messages between Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson and police Lt。 Jeff Niiya became public。 Niiya was cleared in the investigation， but the episode led to training and changes in the way liaison officers communicate with groups before and during planned protests。 。。。more

Janalyn Prude ，

In We Are Proud Boys by Andy Cambel gives The best description of the groups incarnation in the bloody path to popularity。 From Charlottesville to the insurrection on January 6 the author gives very detailed inside to the group。 I appreciated him reporting the fax and not his opinion。 The proud boys are the Republicans answer to antifa and in my opinion both groups are ridiculous。 They have the exact same tactics just differing opinions。 I think The proud boys are just grown men frightened of an In We Are Proud Boys by Andy Cambel gives The best description of the groups incarnation in the bloody path to popularity。 From Charlottesville to the insurrection on January 6 the author gives very detailed inside to the group。 I appreciated him reporting the fax and not his opinion。 The proud boys are the Republicans answer to antifa and in my opinion both groups are ridiculous。 They have the exact same tactics just differing opinions。 I think The proud boys are just grown men frightened of anything different from them。 I think the author is right when he says government institutions cannot change fast enough to fit the crime they commit。 Just because we haven’t heard from them doesn’t mean they’re not still around as the last chapter in the book explains。 I thoroughly enjoyed this book as frightening as it was。 I was given this book by Natali and I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any errors I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own。 #NETGALLY， #Andy Campbell 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=We Are Proud Boys: How a Right-Wing Street Gang Ushered in a New Era of American Extremism

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=We Are Proud Boys: How a Right-Wing Street Gang Ushered in a New Era of American Extremism&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,We Are Proud Boys: How a Right-Wing Street Gang Ushered in a New Era of American Extremism&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0