US groups 'Proud Boys', 'The Base' labelled as terrorist organisations by New Zealand

The Proud Boys and The Base, two US organisations, have received a terrorist designation from New Zealand.Last Monday, June 20, it was entered in the gazette, the government's official journal of record. A week later, it was made public, but with no broader distribution.Everyone who has property or financial ties to The Base and the Proud Boys as a result of the action approved by Police Commissioner Andrew Coster is subject to prosecution and a maximum sentence of seven years in jail under the Terrorism Suppression Act.

A US neo-fascist organisation called the American Proud Boys has leadership and members who have been federally indicted in connection with the disturbances at the US Capitol on January 6. A paramilitary white nationalist hate group known as The Base is active in the US and Canada, and there have been rumours of training cells in South Africa, Australia, and Europe.

The police website has not yet made the justification for the designation public, despite the gazette's claim that it would be there. Unless extended or cancelled, the designation automatically expires on June 20, 2025.

Watch | A look at role of far-right extremists Oath Keepers and Proud Boys in January 6 riot

Who are the Proud Boys?

The Proud Boys are a far-right extremist group that was formed in the lead-up to the 2016 US presidential elections, according to the FBI. Gavin McInnes, a co-founder of Vice Media and former commentator, founded the organisation. McInnes contended that the society's incapacity to permit men to be proud of Western culture made the group's existence vital. The "brotherhood," an exclusively male organisation, would eventually have chapters in 46 US states. Yet despite this, women continue to embrace the group, which its founder previously referred to as a "gang."

The national Proud Boys organisation recognises 119 active Proud Boys chapters spread throughout 46 American states, according to the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish civil rights organisation with headquarters in the US.

Who are The Base?

In 2018, Rinaldo Nazzaro founded the white nationalist organisation and training network known as The Base. It operates in Europe, South Africa, Australia, Australia, and the United States.By using the aliases Norman Spear and Roman Wolf, Rinaldo Nazzaro created the group in June 2018. In order to use the area as a survivalist training camp, Nazzaro reportedly purchased multiple blocks of off-the-grid acreage in Washington state, United States, in 2018.

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