A video showing the violent rhetoric frequently used by Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes has reemerged after Donald Trump told the far-right group to "stand by" during the presidential date.
McInnes launched the Proud Boys in 2016 but left the group in 2018 after fighting broke out between the group and antifa in New York following a speech he made at the Metropolitan Republican Club.
According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, McInnes told a crowd of his supporters that violence is a "really effective way to solve problems."
The clip, an edited version of one that first appeared on social media a few years ago, lists other examples of McInnes actively promoting or encouraging violence on his podcast and other public appearances.
In one segment, McInnes boasts about how the group's members "will kill you. That's the Proud Boys in a nutshell." He also directly states that he is calling for violence and adds that "violence solves everything."
"We need more violence from the Trump people, Trump supporters. Choke a m**********r, choke a b***h, choke a t****y, get your fingers around a windpipe," McInnes can be heard saying over a clip of the unrest which took place in New York in 2018.
McInnes also tells listeners on his show to get a gun and "get ready to blow someone's f*****g head off." It is unclear in what context McInnes is making the remark.
FWIW - these are the Proud Boys... pic.twitter.com/yFSUCvmvZE
— Rex Chapman🏇🏼 (@RexChapman) September 30, 2020
The new clip begins with podcast host Joe Rogan describing McInnes, a co-founder of Vice Media, as "mostly fun," having appeared on his hugely popular show previously down the years.
Last year, Rogan distanced himself from McInnes, stating he never spoke to him after the Proud Boys started committed violence on the streets and that he "f****d up" when he began encouraging it.
The video has been shared thousands of times on Twitter in the wake of the renewed focus on the group following Tuesday's presidential debate.
Moderator Chris Wallace asked the president if he is willing to condemn the violence committed by white supremacists and other militia groups, as well as acts committed by left-wing protesters.
"Proud Boys, stand back and stand by," Trump said. "But I'll tell you what, somebody's gotta do something about antifa and the left. This is not a right-wing problem. This is a left-wing problem."
The group has allegedly adopted the words as a new slogan, including having it appear on merchandise and considering it permission from the president to cause further violence.
Trump has since distanced himself away from the group, claiming that "I don't know who the Proud Boys are" after his comments received widespread condemnation.
"I mean, you'll have to give me a definition, because I really don't know who they are," Trump added.
"Whoever they are, they have to stand down. Let law enforcement do their work."
The FBI lists the Proud Boys as an "extremist group with ties to white nationalism."
The Southern Poverty Law Center also lists Proud Boys as a hate group "known for anti-Muslim and misogynistic rhetoric."
The Proud Boys deny being white supremacists or a hate group and refer to themselves as "western chauvinists."
