domestic terrorists

Latinos always out ahead of everyone! #SoProud pic.twitter.com/7thq2VOuia

— Lalo Alcaraz (@laloalcaraz) September 5, 2023

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO
STAB ME https://t.co/WlfCWRWMTW

— Jean-Michel Connard ?? (@torriangray) September 6, 2023

The coolest thing your lawyer can say right before you go to jail https://t.co/A7Zsbqz9cD

— elle hardy (@ellehardy) September 6, 2023

Reminder: Before Tarrio became the Proud Boys leader, he used to snitch to the Feds that helped prosecute 13 people on federal charges in 2014 so he could get his own 2014 fraud case sentence reduced. https://t.co/9tlYm5iPCr

— José (@josecanyousee) September 5, 2023

A photo thread for no reason pic.twitter.com/IFTfwiU51R

— Tim Dickinson (@7im) May 4, 2023

Prosecutors portrayed Tarrio as a uniquely influential figure who singularly organized a group of hardened Proud Boys members and aimed them at the Capitol on Jan. 6. They said his sentence had to serve as a deterrent to anyone who might target America’s system of government in the future…

Kelly, a Trump appointee, appeared largely unmoved by Tarrio’s words of contrition. He emphasized that as the attack unfolded, he used his platform to tell his allies “Don’t fucking leave.” And that night, Tarrio privately told a confidant, “Make no mistake. We did this.” Despite Tarrio’s contrition, Kelly again slammed him for comparing Pezzola to George Washington…

The judge added that he doesn’t see evidence, despite Tarrio’s apologies, that he feels remorse for the seditious conspiracy for which he was convicted.

The Proud Boys traced their rise in large part to Trump himself, gaining national notoriety for street brawls against left-wing protesters who they accused of aligning with antifa. The group saw a recruitment surge in September 2020 when Trump told them to “stand back and stand by” on a debate stage — a comment that became a rallying cry for Tarrio and other Proud Boys leaders…

After Trump urged supporters to descend on Washington on Jan. 6 for a last-ditch effort to cling to power, the Proud Boys began mobilizing — and in prosecutors’ view, conspiring to help Trump derail the transfer of power at any cost. Stung by the violence they witnessed in December, the group also said they wanted to ensure they only brought disciplined men who would follow orders, and they established a new chapter — “The Ministry of Self-Defense” — aimed at organizing their Jan. 6 efforts.

Prosecutors also homed in on Tarrio’s receipt of a document from a girlfriend — Eryka Flores — titled “1776 returns,” a blueprint for occupying federal buildings in order to block Congress’ Jan. 6 proceedings. The document described the Capitol as “The Winter Palace,” a reference to the Russian Revolution of 1917. Tarrio, when texting with an exhilarated ally on the evening on Jan. 6, responded simply, “Winter Palace.”

A glass-half-full argument from Shane Burley, “author of “Fascism Today: What It Is and How to End It””, at NBC:

… The convictions of Tarrio, Biggs, Rhodes, Nordean and others have been hailed as justice. And it’s true that efforts to hold far-right leaders accountable are promising signs for anyone concerned about the rise of far-right street violence. But the hefty sentences prosecutors asked for could have, potentially, complicated other efforts to undermine groups like the Proud Boys. Which is why the lighter (but still historically long) sentence for Tarrio and his comrades could be seen as a win, not a loss.

Backing up slightly, the high-profile Oath Keeper and Proud Boys trials elicited complicated reactions from some left-wing advocates. Prosecutors went after leaders like Tarrio — who was not at the Capitol on Jan. 6 — by arguing they used violent rioters as “tools” of a broader conspiracy. Similar approaches have been used against left-wing and antifascist activists in the past, including against demonstrators who took to the streets of D.C. during Trump’s inauguration. Right-wing media figure Andy Ngo also used similar logic in a recent civil case, where he tried to connect large numbers of activists as part of a broader conspiracy and alleged assault. (Ngo ultimately lost his claim, although he still won default judgments against several people named in the case.) For these reasons, left-wing activists are wary of any legal strategy that argues participation in a demonstration makes you an accomplice to violence, even if there isn’t evidence of your direct participation.

Another reason Tarrio’s sentence could be viewed as a win has to do with the far-right’s increasingly caustic dive into conspiracy theories, particularly claims that the entire federal apparatus has been taken over by the shadowy “deep state.” The related belief that Trump is being railroaded by politically motivated and disingenuous attacks has become far too common on the right. And even before law enforcement agencies started hunting down Jan. 6 protesters, the violence of the insurrection was being downplayed by MAGA fanatics. While conspiracy theories have always been endemic to American politics, we’re witnessing the rise of what scholar Michael Barkun calls the “superconspiracy”: a conspiratorial theory of everything. The overwhelming nature of today’s conspiracies can lead to desperation, and desperation can lead to more violence. If the political and legal system is hopelessly corrupt, this thinking goes, the only thing left to do is tear the whole thing down.

Of course, the vast denialism that exists on the far-right makes most attempts at accountability difficult. This is not a community that is likely to learn from or take responsibility for its actions. And there is always the risk that these groups could splinter into even more decentralized, and radical, far-right cells. The Proud Boys may remain a relatively decentralized version of their gang, now leaderless, or it may rebrand.

But there’s no doubt the efforts of the Department of Justice have had an impact. The chances that another Jan. 6 could take place, in full public view of cameras and press, feels more unlikely than previously. Hopefully, the sentences handed down this summer will further deter the next generation of far-right activists — and not just drive them deeper underground.

Thus, historically harsh sentences run the risk of validating and further entrenching this mindset, playing right into the hands of those who wish to paint themselves as the heroic, patriotic victims of a malevolent government…

Of course, the vast denialism that exists on the far-right makes most attempts at accountability difficult. This is not a community that is likely to learn from or take responsibility for its actions. And there is always the risk that these groups could splinter into even more decentralized, and radical, far-right cells. The Proud Boys may remain a relatively decentralized version of their gang, now leaderless, or it may rebrand.

But there’s no doubt the efforts of the Department of Justice have had an impact. The chances that another Jan. 6 could take place, in full public view of cameras and press, feels more unlikely than previously. Hopefully, the sentences handed down this summer will further deter the next generation of far-right activists — and not just drive them deeper underground.

Here’s hoping Roger Stone is having a very bad evening, the first in a series of same:

Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, Roger Stone’s one-time “volunteer,” will be sentenced today. Tarrio has been convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the events of Jan 6. The photo below is from Stone’s 2018 video address to the gang. 1/ https://t.co/zlPLTxOaUj pic.twitter.com/N18r58uFlU

— [email protected] ✍🏻 📢 (@jennycohn1) September 5, 2023

pic.twitter.com/n8AQBGINpH

— Lynda Thomas (@lynda8130) September 5, 2023