In the alt-right's murky ecosystem of players and affiliations, the Proud Boys are one of the more offbeat outfits to set up shop on conservatism's right flank in the wake of Donald Trump's presidential campaign and election.
The self-described ”Western chauvinist" men's club brings a fratboy spin to the culture war: cooked up by right-wing provocateur and former Vice Media founder Gavin McInnes, Proud Boys espouse an ”anti-political correctness, anti-racial guilt" agenda in ”an age of globalism and multiculturalism," according to the group's Facebook page.
In practice, this has meant head-on street clashes with anti-fascist — antifa — protesters and other public confrontations, all the more visible because the Proud Boys sport a common uniform: black polo shirts trimmed in yellow stripes from the Fred Perry fashion label.
But the Proud Boys' favorite clothing line isn't returning the love. Last week, as the Proud Boys were mired in a controversy involving an incident in Canada, the British company's chairman pushed back against the association. ”No, we don't support the ideals or the group that you speak of," John Flynn told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. in a statement. ”It is counter to our beliefs and the people we work with."
