McInnis used his disdain for “PC,” or politically-correct culture, to unite a group of “like-minded white men in New York City” that would become the foundation of the Proud Boys.
The Proud Boys organization was conceived by Gavin McInnis, the co-founder of Vice News, in 2016. The Proud Boys maintained a strong presence in Washington, DC through the Capitol Hill riot.
The Oath Keepers are not a cohesive organization, but a “ large, but loosely organized collection of individuals.” The Oath Keepers are identified by their yellow and black banner that proclaims the group to be “guardians of the republic.” While it boasts a membership exceeding 10,000 individuals, researchers estimate the Oath Keeper’s numbers to be closer to 5,000 members spread through local chapters across the United States. The group focuses its recruitment on current and former members of law enforcement, emergency first responders, and military personnel. The Oath Keepers were formed in 2009 by Yale Law School graduate and former US Army Paratrooper Elmer Stewart Rhodes, following the election of President Obama. On January 27, the Department of Justice (DOJ) indicted three individuals associated with the Oath Keepers for conspiring to obstruct Congress. Decoding the symbols of the far-right will provide key insights into these group’s ideologies, compositions, and histories.Īmong the Capitol Hill rioters were the far-right militia groups the Oath Keepers, the Proud Boys, and the Three Percenters. The Federal Bureau of Investigation continues to seek the public’s assistance in identifying individuals responsible for the violence of January 6. Conspiracy theorists donned themselves with the letter “Q.” In the background, flags picturing frogs and skulls waved alongside those of the Trump/Pence presidential campaign. White supremacists wore their depiction of the Crusader cross. Among the mob, militiamen in paramilitary gear were adorned with Roman numerals and skulls.
In addition to causing the deaths of five people, defacing the United States Capitol building, and tarnishing American democracy, the JanuCapitol Hill riot was also a violent exposition of American far-right symbology.