Ottawa (TIP): Canada named the far-right Proud Boys a terrorist entity on Wednesday, saying it posed an active security threat and played a “pivotal role” in last month’s attack on the US Capitol that left five people dead.
Although the Proud Boys have never mounted an attack in Canada, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said domestic intelligence forces had become increasingly worried about the group.
“There has been a serious and concerning escalation of violence — not just rhetoric but activity and planning — and that is why we have responded as we have today,” he told a news conference. He did not give details.
The group’s assets can now be frozen by banks and financial institutions, and it is a crime for Canadians to knowingly deal with assets of a listed entity. Anyone belonging to the group can be blocked from entering Canada.
Canada’s Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announces that the Proud Boys and other groups have been listed as terrorist entities, in a still image from a remote video call in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on February 2, 2021. Office of the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness/Handout via REUTERS.