Members of a far right militant group which "played a central role" in the 6 January 2021 riots in the US Capitol spent the first week of the Trump Administration vowing retribution, including against identifiable members of law enforcement, and rejoicing on the return of Donald Trump to The White House.
Numerous related comments have been made in fringe social and Telegram channels controlled by members of the Proud Boys group since President Trump's inauguration.
The Proud Boys are an all-male organisation which seeks, among other things, to "abolish prisons, give everyone a gun, venerate the housewife, close the borders, outlaw censorship, and shutdown the government."
The posts were located and analysed by Prime Time using a bespoke search tool.
Extremism monitoring groups have warned in recent days that deepening allegiances between organisations like the Proud Boys and the Trump administration raise concerns about democratic and public safety in the US.
Proud Boys members pardoned
Dozens of members and several senior leaders of the Proud Boys were released from prison and given pardons by President Trump on his first day back in office.
They were among more than 1,500 people who were controversially granted presidential clemency for their convictions related to the riots. On signing the order doing so, President Trump said that he was 'giving them their life back.'
"Their life was taken away from them unnecessarily and unfairly. I gave them their life back," he said.
Among the Proud Boys released was Enrique Tarrio, who was chairman of the group at the time of the riots. In September 2023, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
In the days since his release he took to Telegram to thank supporters, adding "Please Stand Back and Standby."
The words echo those said by Donald Trump himself to the Proud Boys in 2020, during his unsuccessful presidential election campaign.
Tarrio also appeared on right-wing and Proud Boys-linked podcasts where he said he planned to seek what he called "restitution."
"Now it’s our turn," he told prominent podcast host and conspiracy theorist, Alex Jones, "I’m happy that the president is focusing not on retribution and focusing on success, but I will tell you, I am not going to play by those rules."
"The people who did this, they need to feel the heat. They need to be in prison," he added.
On another podcast hosted by founder of the Proud Boys, Gavin McInnes, Tarrio said "there has to be restitution, we talk about black restitution all the time, you weren’t a slave, we were."
McInnes concluded the episode by saying American people had been "abused by politicians" during the Biden administration but "luckily Trump is here to rescue."
Concern among law enforcement officers
Some 140 law enforcement officers were injured during the 6 January 2021 riots, which disrupted a joint session of the US Congress convened to formally affirm Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election. Elected representatives and staff in the building were forced to flee, and barricade themselves into rooms as rioters attacked and overwhelmed security and police lines.
In the months beforehand, Donald Trump and his allies repeatedly claimed that the election had been "stolen" through widespread voter fraud, despite an absence of evidence supporting such assertions.
Due to the signing of the pardon by President Trump at least one police officer who was injured on 6 January 2021 has sought protective court orders against his attackers.
"The fact that I have to do this, to try to afford my family some degree of protection, is outrageous," Michael Fanone told reporters. He left the police force in the years since the riots, and has campaigned for accountability for the attack.
On 6 January he was dragged down the steps of the Capitol building by rioters, repeatedly tasered, and beaten unconscious. He told a congressional hearing he had suffered a heart attack and concussion, and received a traumatic brain injury.
The largest police unions in the US also criticised the pardons, saying "they send a dangerous message."
"Crimes against law enforcement are not just attacks on individuals or public safety — they are attacks on society and undermine the rule of law," two major police unions said in a joint statement following the signing of the presidential order.
‘We'll never forget, we'll never forgive’
Beyond Tarrio, dozens of other Proud Boys members posted celebratory comments online across the day and during the subsequent week.
"A new day is about to dawn in America... it's going to be glorious," said one member in the Northern Nevada Proud Boys Telegram group, while attaching an edited image showing a Swastika rising over the horizon in the place of the sun.
The Proud Boys operates through regional chapters, each with its own leadership. Many chapters have their own social media groups and discussion channels. There is also a centralised national channel, Proud Boys USA, with 11,000 members.
"We are so f**king back! Our boys are out, and PBs are celebrating all over the country," the controller of the national channel posted following the news of the executive order.
"The fight isn't over," their post continued, "All of those leftist demons that cancelled you, attacked you, took your jobs, took away your rights and locked you in prisons are still out there... We have to keep fighting."
Videos were also posted of several dozen members of the group marching in Washington DC behind a Proud Boys branded banner saying ‘Congratulations President Trump.’
"Total victory. Our brothers and 1,500 other patriots freed," the president of the Indiana Proud Boys chapter posted from the march on his personal Telegram channel.
"It's been a long 4 yrs. We have withstood the full might and wrath of the most powerful and corrupt govt in history, we have beaten them, and we are not fkng going anywhere."
A branch in Indiana shared a post reading "somewhere in the USA there is a Latina Anne Frank hiding from ICE in an attic." ICE is the US law enforcement agency which carries out deportations.
The administrator of a channel in North Carolina posted their own message. "You wanted us locked up and designated a terrorist group. You wished harm on our families..." he said, "We'll never forget, we'll never forgive. You can't get rid of us. We are everywhere, and we are not going anywhere," he added.
"We’re back and we know what you did," read a post from another chapter, alongside an image of its members, many of whom had their faces masked.
Other chapters simply posted an image of President Trump with the text "Thank you, Mr President."
Similar sentiment was expressed in a letter posted to President Trump by the group on its website, "we will never be able to express our appreciation and gratitude. Thank you, Mr. President," the letter said.
Yet several members and chapters others moved quickly beyond such sentiment, delving into threats and plans for revenge.
Direct threats against individuals
Several images of identifiable law enforcement officers were posted in chapters’ channels alongside directly threatening text.
A post on one Proud Boys’ chapter Telegram channel included a screenshot of a LinkedIn profile showing the photo, full name, and place of work of an officer working in a jail or prison.
"Remember when you used pepper spray on a J6 prisoner because you wanted him to somehow wear his mask at the same time he took his medication?" the text read, "Then you ran him face first into a brick wall and sprayed him again just for the hell of it? Remember that? The Proud Boys remember."
Another post contained similar identifiable details of another officer, with the accompanying text claiming he had been "abusing prisoners on pretrial confinement."
Audio of the Billie Holiday song ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ was posted immediately below the image by the same account seconds later.
Recruitment efforts
During the week since the inauguration, across multiple Proud Boys Telegram channels, there was also a push for new recruits to join the organisation.
One post, which was shared widely and originally posted by a chpater in Long Island said: "It’s no better time then now to join a fraternity of like minded men with balls. The election is over, the boys are pardoned and free! The tide is turning! Tribe up, step up!"
The US based Global Project Against Hate and Extremism monitors the Proud Boys and other similar groups.
In a statement this week about links between members of the Trump administration and far right ideology, it expressed "serious concern over the future of democratic governance and the protection of marginalised communities in the United States."
Members of the Trump Administration have scoffed at accusations they are far right, saying such claims are lies intended to smear them.
When asked this week if the pardon issued to members of Proud Boys indicated the group should "have a place in the political discussion" President Trump said "we’ll have to see."
