Trump: “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by! But I’ll tell you what, somebody’s got to do something about antifa and the left.”īut instead of hate-filled messages and White Supremacy propaganda, the hashtag has been trending with photos of celebration from gay men. The #ProudBoys saw a spike on Twitter after Trump’s implied endorsement on September 29, and the mention has been used for expanding recruitment.Ĭhris Wallace: “Are you willing, tonight, to condemn white supremacists and militia groups and to say that they need to stand down…” The organization has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The armed White insurgents known as Proud Boys have triggered violent incidents across the Pacific Northwest, in an attempt to suppress peaceful protesters supporting the Black Lives Matter movement.
Gay men have taken to Twitter to reclaim the “proud” hashtag, following Donald Trump’s refusal to condemn White Supremacy during the presidential debate, along with signaling to an Alt-Right paramilitary group that they should “stand back and stand by.”
