- The
Proud Boys , afar-right extremist group, is being sued by a historic Black church for allegedly vandalizing their Black Lives Matter flag during a December pro-Trump rally in Washington, D.C. - The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church brought the suit against the group for "engaging in acts of terror and vandalizing church property," the filing said.
- Footage shared widely on social media showed members of the Proud Boys burning Black Lives Matter flags from several churches.
A historic Black church in Washington, DC, has filed a lawsuit against the Proud Boys, alleging members of the far-right extremist group burned the church's Black Lives Matter flag during a pro-Trump rally in December.
The Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church brought the suit against the Proud Boys, its leader, Enrique Tarrio, and eight more unnamed defendants, for allegedly "engaging in acts of terror and vandalizing church property in an effort to intimidate the Church and silence its support for racial justice," according to Monday's filing.
Videos depicting the December 12 incident at the church, as well as others showing Black Lives Matter flags being destroyed, were shared widely online in December. Four churches were vandalized during the rally, according to the Washington Post.
Tarrio was arrested in DC on Monday evening on destruction of property charges related to the incident, a spokesperson for the DC Metropolitan Police Department confirmed in a statement. He was also hit with a possession charge after police found he was carrying two high capacity firearm magazines, the spokesperson said.
He had previously claimed responsibility for the burning of a Black Lives Matter banner from the Asbury United Methodist Church. "Against the wishes of my attorney I am here today to admit that I am the person responsible for the burning of this sign," he wrote in a Parler post. "And I am not ashamed of what I did because I didn't do it out of hate...I did it out of love."
In a tweet, Kristen Clarke, the president and executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a civil-rights organization, which is representing the church alongside other groups, called the incident "a new chapter in a long and despicable history of mob violence targeting Black houses of worship."
Clarke continued, "Our suit seeks to hold accountable those responsible for vandalizing and terrorizing a historic Black church because of its support for racial justice."
—Kristen Clarke (@KristenClarkeJD) January 4, 2021
The complaint, filed in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia on Monday, alleges that members of the Proud Boys, which the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) has deemed a hate group, "traveled to Washington D.C. for the purpose of committing further acts of violence."
—Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) December 13, 2020
The Proud Boys are planning to descend on Washington once more on Wednesday, when Congress is expected to finalize the results of the presidential election. A far-right organization, the Proud Boys is aligned with President Donald Trump, and many of the group's members don't believe in President-elect Joe Biden's win.
Tarrio, who was arrested Monday night when traveling to DC for the event, said on Parler that the group's armed members will not be wearing their traditional black-and-yellow garb, but will wear all black clothing to be "incognito" in an effort to blend in with Antifa counter-protesters.
—Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) December 13, 2020
The Proud Boys, which was founded in 2016 as a fraternity for "Western chauvinists," has become increasingly visible throughout the 2020 election. While the organization claims to disavow white supremacy, its members have included many white supremacists.
The group has also increasingly pro-Trump, as the president has appeared to show them support. During September's presidential debate, when asked to condemn white-supremacist groups like the Proud Boys, Trump told them to "stand back and stand by."
This article has been updated with the
- Read more:
- 'It was reminiscent of cross burnings': The pastor of a historic Black church responds to its BLM sign being set on fire by Proud Boys
- An LGBTQ-owned kilt brand said it was 'disgusted' after members of the Proud Boys wore their products
- The Cuban-American leader of the Proud Boys has said the group isn't explicitly for white supremacists, but a previously ousted underling tried to stage an unhinged, anti-Semitic, racist coup
- Far-right group Proud Boys claim they will attend January 6 DC rally 'incognito' and wear all-black to blend in with antifa protesters