“Bugalu Boys”, “Proud Guys” and “Antifa”: which groups participate in protests in the USA

Demonstrations of protests against racism, which have not subsided in the United States for three weeks after the death of George Floyd, often escalate into violent clashes, pogroms and looting. Politicians, police and the press blame members of several radical movements and groups, both right and left. Among them are the Boogaloo Boys, the Proud Boys and Antifa. Edition with the BBC found out what each of them is.

Photo: Shutterstock

"Boogaloo Boys"

The Boogaloo Bois are a relatively new anti-government subculture that many consider the most dangerous of all such movements.

“Boogaloo” is the name of a dance popular in the United States more than half a century ago. Thanks to the 1980s flop Breakdance 2: The Electric Boogaloo, the word became a meme for a failed sequel to a successful movie.

For example, 32-year-old US Army Sergeant Steven Carillo, who is accused of killing two police officers during protests in late May and early June, is considered a member of the Boogaloo Boys.

Before his arrest, Carrillo wrote in his own blood on his car: "Boog" and "I've become reckless" - words and phrases often used by members of this group.

The Boogaloo Boys are an amorphous movement without a leader or a clear structure. It grew out of a forum about weapons on the website 4chan, which, among others, is used for communication by extremists from different countries.

Supporters of this movement tend to call themselves libertarian folk militia. They claim that they are preparing for the coming Second American Civil War, which they call the word “boogaloo.”

The Boogaloo Boys had a small presence on 4chan, but the movement has grown exponentially recently with numerous pages, groups, and Facebook accounts followed by tens of thousands of users.

To avoid the removal of posts and the closure of groups by the administration of the social network, supporters of the movement often use consonant terms instead of the word Boogaloo, for example Big Igloo, Boog or Big Luau.

Some of the "Boogaloo Boys" call themselves "bujahideen", by analogy with the word "mujahideen", which is not entirely correct, but is often called militants from among radical Islamists.

Followers of the Boogaloo Boys are distinguished by a diversity of views and significant variations in the degree of seriousness - for many it is nothing more than entertainment, boiling down to the creation of satirical Internet memes. But many of them can be described as extreme libertarians, that is, opponents of government regulation who dream of overthrowing the government through armed rebellion.

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This also implies the second dogma of the movement: the right of citizens to own weapons is sacred to them.

The Boogaloo Boys opposed quarantine measures in connection with the coronavirus: they considered them a manifestation of the tyrannical essence of the state.

Armed members of the movement were seen in many protests against lockdowns in April and May.

On the issue of the current protests against racism, the Boogaloo Boys are split: one part of them supports protests against the police and, therefore, against the state, and even hopes that these protests will escalate into the Boogaloo - the civil war they are so waiting for.

Therefore, on Facebook you can find many videos with armed members of the movement claiming that they protect the protesters from the police.

Another part of them doubts whether it is worth speaking with the left.

Some members of the movement attack government officials during the protests. Three members of the Boogaloo Boys were formally charged with terrorism in Nevada in June for allegedly trying to incite unrest during demonstrations, authorities say.

Facebook, in light of recent events, has begun to aggressively remove groups and pages associated with the Boogaloo Boys.

"Antifa"

“Antifa” (short for “anti-fascists”) is an amorphous movement of the radical left. It is well known in many countries, including Russia. It has been largely unheard of in the US in recent years, but first the election of US President Donald Trump and then protests over the death of George Floyd brought the movement back to the forefront.

In its ranks you can see anarchists, communists, and a certain number of people calling themselves social democrats. What unites them is their willingness to fight - as they explain, in self-defense or to protect others from right-wing radicals.

There is some evidence that Antifa was involved in looting and mayhem during recent protests and riots. Texas authorities, for example, claim that three of the looters operating in the state capital, Austin, were from the ranks of Antifa.

Donald Trump and right-wingers generally argue that representatives of this group were the main driving force behind the riots.

There is not enough evidence for this: Antifa is a relatively small movement, their numbers are not comparable to the total number of participants in protest demonstrations.

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Trump tweeted that he would designate Antifa a terrorist organization, but legal experts question whether he has the authority to do so against an American organization rather than a foreign one.

"Proud Boys"

The Proud Boys, like the Boogaloo Boys, are a far-right organization. It was founded in 2016 by Canadian-British right-wing activist Gavin McInnes.

The Proud Boys fight against illegal immigration and immigrants, and they have often engaged in street clashes with the same Antifa supporters.

They often wear black and yellow polo shirts and red baseball caps with Trump's Make America Great Again slogan and describe themselves as "white chauvinists who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world."

In the last couple of years, the Proud Boys have staged street battles with Antifa in Washington, New York, Oregon and elsewhere.

Two of them were convicted last year of beating Antifa activists in New York.

The Proud Boys are vocal opponents of Black Lives Matter demonstrations.

The overthrow of the statues of the leaders of the Confederation (southern slave states during the Civil War of 1861-1864), they consider the destruction of US history, and members of the group went out to protect such monuments in several states.

After the left established an “autonomous zone” in one of the Seattle neighborhoods, where they did not allow police, the Proud Boys showed up, some with weapons.

Photos and videos of their clashes with Antifa and other leftists from the “autonomous zone” went viral on the Internet.

Facebook, Instagram and YouTube have kicked the Proud Boys off their platforms, but accounts associated with the group have resurfaced during the latest protests. In mid-June, Facebook blocked 358 such accounts, and Instagram blocked 172.

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