A prominent part of the Jan. 6 hearings, right-wing groups like Proud Boys seek to build a white nation – The Fayetteville Observer

Matthew Valasik and Shannon Reid| The Fayetteville Observer

Former Wisconsin Proud Boy member saw bigotry and bullying

Daniel Berry joined the Wisconsin Proud Boys in search of camaraderie, but instead found racism, antisemitism and sadistic bullying.

Jasper Colt, USA TODAY

As the House Select Committee continues public hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, far-right groups including theProud Boysand theOath Keepersare a prominent topic of discussion.

At the same time, both of those groupsleadersare facingcriminal chargesofseditious conspiracy. They are alleged to have worked together to oppose by force the authorityof the Government of the United States.

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Those charges can be difficult to prove in court. But regardless of the outcome of any prosecution that alleges these groups worked to overthrow the government,our researchhas shown that the more committed members of these and otherextreme right-wing groupsbelieve that the U.S. government, as currently constituted, is illegitimate and should be overthrown and replaced with one that is based on white supremacy.

Proud Boys have identified themselves as Western chauvinists who focus on opposing political correctness and white guilt. But these claims have generally been seen ascover for deeper racist and antisemitic sentiments. For some Proud Boys members, this group was a stepping stone to moreextreme groups, such as The Base.

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Like anystreet gang, the Proud Boys as a national group is made up of semi-autonomous chapters of varying numbers and abilities. They are in different degrees of contact and coordination with other chapters. Its not clear the level of interest or capability that most members have in actually following through with overthrowing the government.

Oath Keepers is an anti-government group that calls itself a militia focused ondefending the Constitution and fighting tyranny. Former Oath Keepers spokesman Jason Van Tatenhove stated that the group is actually selling the revolution, meaning that the group is pushing conspiracy theories and propaganda to facilitate confrontations with federal law enforcement.

More: Prosecutors charge former Proud Boys leader, 4 others with seditious conspiracy in Jan. 6 attack

While members of theProud Boyshave concentrated their confrontations onanti-fascistsor other protesters, Oath Keepers have participated in several armed standoffs against the government.

In 2014, theOath Keepers joined an armed standoffbetween far-right patriot groups in Nevada on behalf ofCliven Bundy. In 2015, Oath Keepers showed up heavily armed in Ferguson, Missouri, during protests over the killing ofMichael Brown. And in 2016, Oath Keepers were present at the armed takeover of theMalheur National Wildlife Refugein Oregon.

Historically, prosecutions of seditious conspiracy charges succeeded againstmilitant IslamistorMarxist groups.

But prosecuting far-right groups has tended to be much more difficult. In 1988,Louis Beam, a figurehead in the white power movement, and 13 white supremacists from groups such as the Aryan Brotherhood and the Ku Klux Klan wereacquittedof conspiring to kill a federal judge and an FBI agent and plotting to overthrow the federal government to establish an all-white nation in the Pacific Northwest.

In 2012, charges of seditious conspiracy against members ofHutaree, a militant far-rightChristian nationalistgroup, weredismissedafter the judge concluded the government had not proved there was an actual conspiracy.

But it is clear from the charges stemming from the Jan. 6 insurrection involvinghundreds of alleged participants that police and prosecutors aretaking seriously the threat of violent actionbyProud Boys, Oath Keepers and other far-right groupsagainst individuals, organizations and local and national governments.

Shannon Reid, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology at UNC Charlotte. Matthew Valasik, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at The University of Alabama.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

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A prominent part of the Jan. 6 hearings, right-wing groups like Proud Boys seek to build a white nation - The Fayetteville Observer