The Proud Boys, a white supremacist organization instrumental in the organization and execution of the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots, appears to be going through a schism following the release of former national leader Enrique Tarrio, who was sentenced to 22 years in prison for seditious conspiracy for his role in the attack. While Tarrio attempts to consolidate his influence over the national chapter and “official” Proud Boys chapters, others have disavowed him and are starting a new collective of “Autonomous Proud Boys.” Their denouncement of Tarrio is based on his previous status as an informant for the FBI and local law enforcement in cases involving drugs, gambling, and human smuggling, after he was arrested in 2012 for his involvement in an illicit medical supply resale scheme, before the formation of the Proud Boys in 2016.
Over 1,500 rioters convicted for their actions on January 6, including Tarrio and many Proud Boys, were recently granted pardons, or had their sentences commuted by President Donald Trump, sparking jubilation amongst Proud Boys chapters nationwide. Initial signs of discord began when Proud Boys made their way to Washington, D.C., to celebrate the pending pardons on inauguration day. The Proud Boys national Telegram channel quickly made posts saying those demonstrating in Washington were “not us” and decried Proud Boys demonstrators as “larping fa****s…dressed up in black and yellow.” Larping is a term used to describe someone playing a character in a role-playing game, or more colloquially, someone pretending to be someone else. Additionally, the Proud Boys claimed rallying was “fed behavior,” echoing the same kind of messaging used to claim that the FBI (“feds”) orchestrated the January 6 Capitol attack.
On January 29, Tarrio, in an effort to reclaim his leadership position in the Proud Boys, made a lengthy post on his Telegram channel saying he’s “seen many people on [Telegram] and in the streets claiming to be part of our organization,” but if they are not listed on the Proud Boys website, then “they are attempting to dupe you or are more nefarious, they are probably a federal agent or collaborator of some sort.” A few Proud Boys chapters rallied in support of Tarrio, such as the Central City Crusaders (based in central Florida), who shared Tarrio’s post. The Long Island Proud Boys shared multiple messages supporting Tarrio, including reposting Tarrio’s post claiming that “if your Proud Boys chapter is not on [the Proud Boys website,] that you’re not a real chapter in the club and an impersonator.” They also called anyone who negatively responded to their post “f*gs” and “fake Proud Boys.” The Villain City Proud Boys, the “official” Proud Boys chapter based in Miami, Tarrio’s hometown, made a post targeting the city’s autonomous chapter, the Vice City Proud Boys, which Tarrio also said “there is no such thing,” stating that “chapter autonomy means no rules to adhere to.”
Enrique Tarrio makes a post disowning any “autonomous” Proud Boys chapters, including the South Florida Proud Boys and Vice City Proud Boys (Source: Telegram)
A slew of negative responses from autonomous Proud Boys chapters and chat groups made their way across Telegram following these remarks by Tarrio and his allies. One commonly shared post was by Nicholas Ochs, former U.S. Marine and founder of the Hawaii Proud Boys, who said “I am very clear on the status of Enrique Tarrio: RAT,” referencing a term used to describe informants that work with law enforcement. The post was shared by the Vice City Proud Boys, Fort Wayne Proud Boys, Michiana Proud Boys, Sacramento Proud Boys, Detroit Proud Boys, Toledo Proud Boys, Arizona Proud Boys, Proud Boys New Jersey, and Proud Boys Ohio.
Nicholas Ochs, former U.S. Marine and founder of the Hawaii Proud Boys, calls Enrique Tarrio a “rat” due to his former status as an informant for local and federal law enforcement (Source: Telegram)
Aside from a number of posts targeting Tarrio as a “rat” or “informant,” Proud Boys chapters have taken a larger step to formally isolate themselves from him. On January 28, a new umbrella account for “autonomous” Proud Boys chapters launched and called for “anyone, or any chapter in the national faction of Proud Boys who has recently found themselves back under the leadership and influence of a convicted federal informant” to “reach out… to [be] added to our ranks.” They claim they’ve already “grown to encompass about 1/3 of the club[s] in 4 short years” and even encouraged readers to contact “any of the other 49 presidents” of autonomous Proud Boys chapters. Some of the contacts listed included leaders of the Michiana Proud Boys, Detroit Proud Boys, the North Star Chapter (Alaska), Vice City Proud Boys, Indiana Proud Boys, and the Toledo Proud Boys.
Rifts within the Proud Boys’ ranks are not unheard of, for example in June 2023, when a number of Proud Boys groups took to their social media channels to express support for one of their chapters in Oregon which got into a fight with the Active Club-affiliated Rose City Nationalists, while others distanced themselves from the chapter. With Tarrio’s release and subsequent messages targeting autonomous chapters, it seems clear that a rift in the Proud Boys is forming, possibly diluting Tarrio’s influence and splintering the movement as a whole. We’ll see.
