After the presidential election last year, the Proud Boys, a far-right group, declared its undying loyalty to President Donald Trump.
But since then, discontent with Trump, who later condemned the violence, has boiled over. On social media, Proud Boys participants have complained about his willingness to leave office and said his disavowal of the Capitol rampage was an act of betrayal. And Trump, cut off on Facebook and Twitter, has been unable to talk directly to them to soothe their concerns or issue new rallying cries.
On Wednesday, the Proud Boys Telegram group welcomed President Joe Biden to office. “At least the incoming administration is honest about their intentions,” the group wrote. The change toward Trump happened slowly. After November’s election, the group’s private Telegram channels, Gab pages and posts on alternative social networking site Parler were filled with calls to keep the faith with the president. Many Proud Boys, echoing Trump’s falsehoods, said the election had been rigged, according to a review of messages.
“They wanted to arm themselves and start a second civil war and take down the government on Trump’s behalf,” said Marc-André Argentino, a researcher who studies the far-right and a doctoral candidate at Concordia University. “But ultimately, he couldn’t be the authoritarian they wanted him to be.” Though prosecutors said Biggs was not among the first to break into the Capitol, they said he admitted to entering the building for a brief time. They also said he appeared to wear a walkie-talkie-style device on his chest, suggesting he was communicating with others during the incursion.
Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)