The Proud Boys are a far-right extremist organization founded in the United States in 2016 by Gavin McInnes, a Canadian‑American media figure and co‑founder of Vice. The group describes itself as “Western chauvinist,” but has been widely identified by extremism researchers and civil rights organizations as a hate group involved in political violence and spreading misogynistic, anti‑immigrant, anti‑LGBTQ+ and other bigoted ideas.

Quick definition

  • The Proud Boys are a self‑styled “Western chauvinist” men’s group that formed around online media and street activism in North America.
  • Major watchdogs, including the Anti‑Defamation League (ADL) and the Southern Poverty Law Center, classify them as a right‑wing extremist or hate group because of their rhetoric and repeated involvement in violent confrontations.

Origins and name

  • The group was created in 2016 by Gavin McInnes, who presented it as a club for men defending “Western” values against liberal and left‑wing politics.
  • The name “Proud Boys” comes from the song “Proud of Your Boy” from Disney’s Aladdin, which McInnes adopted ironically before it became associated with real‑world street politics.

Ideology and beliefs

  • Core themes include strong nationalism, hostility to feminism, opposition to immigration, and rejection of what they call “political correctness” and “social justice” movements.
  • Although leaders often deny being white supremacist, researchers have documented repeated antisemitic, Islamophobic, anti‑LGBTQ+ and at times openly white‑supremacist statements and alliances among members and chapters.

Structure and activities

  • The group is organized into local chapters with a loose hierarchy and “degrees” of membership, which can involve initiation rituals and rewards for participation in confrontations.
  • Proud Boys members have appeared at rallies and protests across the U.S. and Canada, where they have repeatedly been involved in street fights and political violence, particularly against left‑wing and anti‑fascist counter‑protesters.

Recent context

  • Legal pressure and criminal cases against prominent members have fractured the national structure, but local chapters and splinter groups remain active around culture‑war issues like school boards, LGBTQ+ events, and COVID‑era public health measures.
  • Because of their history of violence and extremist rhetoric, many analysts now treat the Proud Boys as an example of how street‑based far‑right groups can influence broader political polarization and threaten democratic processes.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.