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Enrique Tarrio

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Enrique Tarrio
Enrique Tarrio - International Chairman Proud Boys (retouched).jpg
Tarrio in 2019
Born1984/1985 (age 36–37)[1]
Miami, Florida, U.S.[2]
OccupationBusinessman
Known forChairman of the Proud Boys, Florida state director of Latinos for Trump
Political partyRepublican[2][3]
MovementFar-right, Trumpism

Enrique Tarrio (born 1984 or 1985[1]) is an American activist who serves as chairman of the Proud Boys, a far-right, neo-fascist, and exclusively male organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the United States.[4] Tarrio, who is Cuban-American and of Afro-Cuban background,[5] served as the Florida state director of the grassroots organization Latinos for Trump.[6][7][8] In 2020, Tarrio was a candidate in the Republican primary election for Florida's 27th congressional district, but withdrew.[2][3][5]

Life and career

Enrique Tarrio was born in 1984 or 1985 and raised in Little Havana, a neighborhood in Miami, Florida.[9][1][10] Tarrio is of Cuban heritage and identifies as Afro-Cuban.[11][8] He has been married and divorced.[11]

After 2004, Tarrio relocated to a small town in North Florida to run a poultry farm. He later returned to Miami.[11] He has also founded a security equipment installation firm and another providing GPS tracking for companies.[11] Tarrio owns a Miami T-shirt business, known as the 1776 Shop, an online vendor for right-wing merchandise.[12][13] Slate described the 1776 Shop as a "freewheeling online emporium for far-right merch" that sells a range of Proud Boys gear including shirts stating "Pinochet did nothing wrong".[14]

Proud Boys

Further information: Proud Boys
Tarrio, at a gathering in 2020

The Proud Boys is a far-right, neo-fascist, and exclusively male organization that promotes and engages in political violence in the United States.[4]

Tarrio volunteered at a Miami event for far-right commentator Milo Yiannopoulos in May 2017 when he encountered a member of the Proud Boys who encouraged him to join it.[11] In August 2017, Tarrio attended the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.[15] He said he was there to protest the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials.[16]

In 2018, Tarrio became a fourth-degree member of the Proud Boys, a distinction reserved for those who get into a physical altercation "for the cause"; he punched a person who was believed to be aligned with antifa.[17] He assumed the role of chairman for the organization on November 29, 2018, succeeding Jason Lee Van Dyke, who held the position for two days, and Van Dyke's predecessor Gavin McInnes.[18][19]

Tarrio helped organize the End Domestic Terrorism rally held in Portland, Oregon, on August 17, 2019.[20] The event, co-organized by Joe Biggs, was framed as a response to the June 2019 assault on conservative blogger Andy Ngo.[21][22]

Tarrio attended a pro-Trump march on December 12, 2020, in Washington, D.C., along with around two hundred other Proud Boys. He was arrested in connection with the march on a misdemeanor destruction of property charge related to the burning of a Black Lives Matter flag stolen from a church.[23]

In January 2021, Reuters reported that Tarrio had been an informant to both federal and local law enforcement between 2012 and 2014.[24] This report contributed to rifts within the Proud Boys. In the aftermath of the January 2021 United States Capitol attack, chapters of the organization split with the national group. Several chapters across three states pointed to Tarrio's past as an informant as a reason for their splintering from the national organization. The Oklahoma chapter also split from the national group because of Tarrio, blaming his "failure to take disciplinary measures [which] have jeopardized our brothers safety and the integrity of our brotherhood".[25] Tarrio himself did not participate in the storming of the Capitol, having been arrested two days earlier in Washington, D.C., and ordered to stay away from the city. Later, he said he would neither "support" nor "condemn" the attack and did not "sympathize" with lawmakers.[26]

Political views

In regard to his views on extremist groups and ideologies, Tarrio has been quoted as saying, "I denounce white supremacy. I denounce anti-Semitism. I denounce racism. I denounce fascism. I denounce communism and any other -ism that is prejudiced towards people because of their race, religion, culture, tone of skin."[27] In regard to his own ethnicity, he has said, "I'm pretty brown, I'm Cuban. There's nothing white supremacist about me."[15]

After Tarrio confronted and shouted expletives at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in Coral Gables in late 2018, the chairman of the Miami-Dade Republican Party apologized and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio compared the disruptors to the "repudiation mobs Castro has long ago used in Cuba."[9]

In 2018, Twitter removed Tarrio's account, amongst others related to the Proud Boys, citing how platform policy prohibited accounts related to violent extremist groups. The following year, another account created by Tarrio to evade the suspension was detected and removed from the platform by Twitter.[28]

Tarrio said he is a close friend of Roger Stone,[7] a Trump ally who is a high-profile Proud Boys supporter.[12] After Stone was arrested in January 2019, Tarrio appeared outside the courtroom in a shirt emblazoned with the message "Roger Stone did nothing wrong".[29] At a "Stop the Steal" rally in December 2020, Tarrio stood on stage with Stone.[30]

Tarrio began a run for Congress for Florida's 27th district in 2020, but withdrew before the Republican Party primary. In his campaign's responses to a Ballotpedia survey done in 2019, Tarrio listed criminal justice reform, protection of the Second Amendment, countering domestic terrorism, ending the war on drugs, free speech on digital platforms, and immigration reform among some of his priorities.[2]

Legal issues

In 2004, when he was 20 years old, Tarrio was convicted of theft. He was sentenced to community service and three years of probation and was ordered to pay restitution.[11] In 2013, Tarrio was sentenced to 30 months (of which he spent 16) in federal prison for rebranding and reselling stolen medical devices.[31][32][33] According to a January 2021 Reuters report, between 2012 and 2014 Tarrio had been an informant to both federal and local law enforcement; in a 2014 federal court hearing, Tarrio's lawyer said that Tarrio had been a "prolific" cooperator who had assisted the government in the investigation and prosecution of more than twelve people in cases involving anabolic steroids, gambling, and human smuggling; had helped identify three "grow houses" where marijuana was cultivated; and had repeatedly worked undercover to aid in investigations. Tarrio denied working undercover or cooperating with prosecutions, but the court transcript contradicted the denial, and the former federal prosecutor in the proceeding against Tarrio confirmed that he cooperated.[34][35]

Tarrio was arrested by Washington, D.C., police on January 4, 2021, and charged with one misdemeanor count of destruction of property in connection with the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner stolen from a Washington, D.C. church during a pro-Trump march on December 12, 2020 that drew around 200 Proud Boys. Tarrio acknowledged that he had burned the banner, but denied that the act was a hate crime.[23][36] A statement released by African Methodist Episcopal Church, which was one of two historically black churches in D.C. targeted on December 12, said that the church had sued Tarrio and the Proud Boys organization.[37][38] Tarrio was also charged with two felony counts of possession of a high capacity feeding device after two high-capacity firearms magazines were found on Tarrio when he was arrested.[39][40] As a condition of his release on bail on January 5, 2021, Tarrio was banned from entering Washington except for trial or meeting with his lawyers.[41][42][43] The FBI later said they had arrested Tarrio in an attempt to prevent the storming of the United States Capitol.[34] On July 19, 2021, Tarrio pleaded guilty to a destruction of property charge and a reduced charge of attempting to possess a high-capacity feeding device.[44][45]

References

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Steinhauer, Jennifer; Benner, Katie; Schmitt, Eric; Cooper, Helene (January 4, 2021). "Leader of Proud Boys, a Far-Right Group, Is Arrested as D.C. Braces for Protests". The New York Times. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "Enrique Tarrio". Ballotpedia. Archived from the original on June 19, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "FEC Form 2 for Report FEC-1361386". docquery.fec.gov. Archived from the original on October 7, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Far-right: Fascist: Men only:
    • Sernau, Scott (2019). Social Inequality in a Global Age. SAGE Publications. ISBN 9781544309309. The Proud Boys, an all-male neo-fascist group [...].
    • Álvarez, Rebecca (2020). Vigilante Gender Violence: Social Class, the Gender Bargain, and Mob Attacks on Women Worldwide. Routledge. ISBN 978-1000174137. The Proud Boys are a neo-fascist masculinist hate group.
    • "'Proud Boys' back in Canada military after crashing indigenous ceremony". BBC News. August 31, 2017. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
    Political violence:
    • "Proud Boys". Southern Poverty Law Center. Archived from the original on October 16, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2018.
    • Lowry, Rich (October 19, 2018). "The Poisonous Allure of Right-Wing Violence". National Review. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2018. McInnes is open about his glorification of violence. In a speech, he described a clash with Antifa outside a talk he gave at NYU last year: 'My guys are left to fight. And here's the crucial part: We do. And we beat the crap out of them.' He related what a Proud Boy who got arrested told him afterward: 'It was really, really fun.' According to McInnes: 'Violence doesn't feel good. Justified violence feels great. And fighting solves everything.'
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Iannelli, Jerry (February 5, 2020). "Proud Boys Leader Has Raised Basically No Money for Miami Congressional Run". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
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  8. ^ Jump up to: a b Ceballos, Joshua (September 30, 2020). "Proud Boys Respond to Trump's Debate Night Comments". Archived from the original on October 5, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b Smiley, David; Gamez Torrez, Nora; Hall, Kevin G. (October 2, 2020). "Proud Boys try to assimilate into Florida GOP as Trump denies knowing extremist group". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020.
  10. ^ Lipscomb, Jessica (November 1, 2019). "Local Douchebag Announces 2020 Congressional Run". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
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  13. ^ Weill, Kelly (January 29, 2019). "The Proud Boys Are Now Roger Stone's Personal Army". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  14. ^ Glaser, April (February 7, 2019). "It Just Got a Lot Harder for the Proud Boys to Sell Their Merch Online". Slate. Archived from the original on February 8, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  15. ^ Jump up to: a b Orecchio-Egresitz, Haven (September 30, 2020). "The Proud Boys chairman says members of the organization are running for office – and you might not know if you're voting for one". Insider. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  16. ^ Viteri, Amy (August 18, 2017). "White nationalist who attended rally in Charlottesville explains his beliefs". WPLG. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
  17. ^ Coaston, Jane (October 15, 2018). "The Proud Boys, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020. became a fourth-degree Proud Boy after punching a purported member of antifa in the face in June 2018.
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  19. ^ Farrell, Paul (November 29, 2018). "Enrique Tarrio: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
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  22. ^ Flaccus, Gillian (August 16, 2019). "Arrests precede major demonstrations in Portland, Oregon". AP News. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
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  27. ^ Burgos, Marisela (September 30, 2020). "Proud Boys chairman tells 7News group is misunderstood; group labeled 'dangerous'". WSVN. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  28. ^ Lipscomb, Jessica (March 13, 2019). "Proud Boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio Removed From Twitter for 'Evading Suspension'". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  29. ^ O'Connor, Jerry Iannelli, Meg (February 21, 2019). "Roger Stone Admits Extensive Ties to Extremist Group Florida Proud Boys in Court". Miami New Times. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  30. ^ Papenfuss, Mary (February 6, 2021). "New Video Shows Trump Ally Roger Stone With Proud Boy Accused Of Planning Capitol Riot". HuffPost. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  31. ^ Boryga, Andrew. "South Florida Proud Boys leader reacts with pride to President Trump's debate-night call to 'stand by'". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  32. ^ Owen, Tess (November 4, 2019). "Proud Boys Leader and Roger Stone Fanboy Is Running for Congress". vice.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  33. ^ Sollenberger, Roger (December 15, 2020). "How did a Proud Boys leader with a felony record get into the White House?". Salon. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
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  35. ^ Molly Hennessy-Fiske (January 28, 2020), "Leader of far-right group was police informant, records show", Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles, California, p. A7, retrieved January 28, 2020 (subscription required)
  36. ^ Landay, Jonathan; Gardner, Timothy; Lawder, David (December 13, 2020). "Pro-Trump protests decry president's election loss, opposing groups clash in Washington". CNBC. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  37. ^ "Protesters Ripped, Set Fire to BLM Signs at DC Churches, Organizers Respond". WRC-TV. January 4, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  38. ^ "DC church suing Proud Boys over Black Lives Matter sign vandalism". WTTG. January 4, 2020. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
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  40. ^ Lambert, Evan (January 4, 2021). "Proud Boys' leader Enrique Tarrio arrested in DC, police say". Fox 5 DC. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
  41. ^ "Judge bans Proud Boys leader from Washington after arrest". Associated Press. January 5, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
  42. ^ "Proud Boys leader released from jail, ordered to stay away from DC". wusa9.com. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
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  44. ^ Duggan, Paul; Weiner, Rachel (July 19, 2021). "Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio pleads guilty in burning of Black Lives Matter banner in D.C." The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
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