Canada designates 'Proud Boys' as terrorist group, cites active security threat

The Canadian government has designated US far-right group Proud Boys as a  banned terrorist organization.

Canadian authorities said the Proud Boys are a "serious and growing threat". US Federal prosecutors investigating the Capitol riots last month had charged Proud Boys with conspiracy charges.

The US Justice Department had said it had filed indictment against two Proud Boys - Dominic Pezzola,43, and William Pepe,31. 

The Canadian government said the  "neo-fascist organization that engages in political violence" and whose members "espouse misogynistic, Islamophobic, anti-Semitic, anti-immigrant, and/or white supremacist ideologies."

The police in the United States had earlier arrested Henry "Enrique" Tarrio, 36, accusing him of burning a "Black Lives Matter" banner. The Proud Boys have been associated with the insurrection at the deadly US Capitol.

The white supremacist group has been a vocal supporter of former president Donald Trump who has at times has supported the outfit.

During the US presidential campaign, Trump and Biden had clashed over the conduct of Proud Boys after Trump said "Proud Boys -- stand back and stand by", however later the former president backtracked and said, "I don't know who Proud Boys are but whoever they are they have to stand down."

Joe Biden at the time hit back saying "This. This is Donald Trump's America."

 "My message to the Proud Boys and every other white supremacist group is: cease and desist," Biden said. "That's not who we are. This is not who we are as Americans," Joe Biden had said.