Enrique Tarrio, leader of the white supremacist group, was arrested during protests in December on charges of destruction of property. The arrest came on the eve of a rally called for by Trump supporters in Washington on Wednesday.
Enrique Tarrio, leader of the far-right group Proud Boys, was arrested on charges of destruction of properties during protests in December that led to several violent skirmishes in Washington. The arrest came on the eve of a rally called by Trump supporters on Wednesday.
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Tarrio, of Cuban descent, was arrested when he arrived in Washington from Miami on charges of burning a banner bearing the slogan “Black Lives Matter” that he removed from a historic black church in the city last month.
The leader of the far-right group is charged with property destruction, a felony, along with two other charges for possession of firearms magazines with additional capacity for bullets, according to police sources cited by the paper. The Washington Post.
Tarrio, who was also involved in the organization during the election campaign Latinos for Trump, recognized in a December interview with the Washington Post that he had torn and burned the banner of the church. Tarrio said he intended to plead guilty and pay the church the cost of the banner if he was formally charged.
Local police did not rule out the possibility that federal authorities could bring charges against Tarrio for hate crimes, something that could be punished more severely.
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Tarrio denied in December that his actions were guided by a racist motivation against blacks, claiming that his problem with the Black Lives Matter movement was that he believed they had “ terrorized ” the country during last year’s protests against police brutality.
The Proud Boys is a neo-fascist, exclusive men’s group founded in New York in 2016 by Gavin McInnes. This group adopted Trump’s motto “Make America Great Again” publish it together with the yellow and black logo on the social network Telegram. They promote ideas such as the carrying of weapons and traditional gender roles.
Washington activates the National Guard
Washington authorities have activated at least 340 National Guard soldiers to protect the capital of the United States, ahead of a demonstration called by supporters of Donald Trump next Wednesday. Tarrio announced that members of his group will attend Wednesday’s demonstrations “with a difference.”
“The Proud Boys will hit the streets in unprecedented numbers, but this time with a difference,” he explains. We will not be wearing our traditional black and yellow uniform. We will be incognito and we will be scattered in smaller shifts across central Washington, ”he said.
Organizing groups estimate that about 15,000 people will gather in the city center when Congress meets to certify electoral college votes, earning Democrat Joe Biden victory in the November election.
Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference that she is considering a curfew, and Metropolitan Police Chief Robert Contee said information has been received about individuals attempting to enter the District of Columbia with weapons.
Contee added that authorities expect a larger crowd than previous pro-Trump demonstrations in the city, which culminated in violent skirmishes.
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For its part, Million MAGA March, which proclaims itself as the official rally organizer, has invited its supporters to “participate in the greatest political act of Trump in United States history.”
Militias like Three percent, proud boys and oath keepers that they are already mobilizing caravans with residences in various cities across the country on their march to Washington DC, where they will be banned from carrying firearms, as they have done at other demonstrations.
The DonaldWin group has invited participants on its internet portal to “bring their weapons” and in preparation for the day, the authorities have placed posters in the areas where the demonstration will take place, recalling the ban on fired weapons in the capital of the United States.
“Members of the public and everyone taking part in the demonstrations are reminded that district law prohibits carrying a firearm within 300 meters of any political activity,” Mayor Muriel Bowser said in a statement.
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Thousands of Trump supporters marched through Washington DC in mid-December, many of them in combat gear, and at dusk at least four people were stabbed near a bar that has become a gathering place for the Proud Boys group.
“This is a very scary moment,” Susnara Taylor, spokeswoman for the group refusefascism.org, told local television. “It’s frightening for both the immediate safety of people on the street and, even more so, for the future.”
“We are very concerned about the violent protesters coming to town,” he added. “The last time they were here, they attacked innocent pedestrians. This is white supremacist terrorism and knowing that Donald Trump has repeatedly praised them and called on these people to flood the streets. “