Police: Proud Boys leader arrested in burning of Black Lives Matter banner
Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the far-right Proud Boys organization, was arrested on Monday afternoon in Washington, D.C., on a warrant charging him with burning a stolen Black Lives Manner banner, a police spokesman said.
The banner was taken from the Asbury United Methodist Church, a historic Black church, during a rally on Dec. 12, and Tarrio later told The Washington Post he was part of the burning. Tarrio, who lives in Miami, was charged with one misdemeanor count of destruction of property, D.C. police spokesman Dustin Sternbeck said. Tarrio has also been charged with two counts of possession of high capacity ammunition feeding devices; the items were found during his arrest.
During his earlier interview with the Post, Tarrio denied knowing that the Asbury United Methodist Church was a predominantly Black church, claiming, "The sign was taken down because of what it represents." The U.S. attorney's office in D.C. will determine whether the burning is a hate crime, Sternbeck said.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Proud Boys are planning a rally in D.C. on Wednesday to show their support for President Trump's attempts to overturn the election results. On Dec. 12, members of the group, which has ties to white nationalism, and other alt-right organizations marched through downtown D.C. It was a violent evening, police said, with four churches vandalized. There was also a stabbing at a bar that has become a gathering spot for the Proud Boys.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
'Wolf Hall: the Mirror and the Light' season two – still a "crown jewel"
The Week Recommends Damian Lewis and Mark Rylance star in this 'superlative' Tudor drama on BBC One
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published
-
'Election Day. Finally.'
Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Incendiary device plot: Russia's 'rehearsals' for attacks on transatlantic flights
The Explainer Security officials warn of widespread Moscow-backed 'sabotage campaign' in retaliation for continued Western support for Ukraine
By The Week UK Published
-
ATF finalizes rule to close 'gun show loophole'
Speed Read Biden moves to expand background checks for gun buyers
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Hong Kong passes tough new security law
Speed Read It will allow the government to further suppress all forms of dissent
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
France enshrines abortion rights in constitution
speed read It became the first country to make abortion a constitutional right
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Texas executes man despite contested evidence
Speed Read Texas rejected calls for a rehearing of Ivan Cantu's case amid recanted testimony and allegations of suppressed exculpatory evidence
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Supreme Court wary of state social media regulations
Speed Read A majority of justices appeared skeptical that Texas and Florida were lawfully protecting the free speech rights of users
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Greece legalizes same-sex marriage
Speed Read Greece becomes the first Orthodox Christian country to enshrine marriage equality in law
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump and his lawyer Alina Habba have a rough day in defamation court
Speed Read Trump's audible grousing as E. Jean Carroll testified earned him a warning he could be thrown out of court, and Habba showed she 'doesn't know what the hell she's doing'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Anders Breivik to testify in prison isolation lawsuit against Norway
Speed Read Far-right fanatic who killed 77 people in 2011 claims he has received 'inhuman treatment' in custody
By The Week UK Published