The Proud Boys – a far-right group known for attacking left-wing protesters in street brawls – are celebrating after Donald Trump last night told them to “stand back and stand by” during the first presidential debate.
Asked repeatedly to condemn white supremacists by Fox News moderator Chris Wallace, the US president blustered before saying instead: “Proud Boys, stand back and stand by. But I’ll tell you what, somebody’s got to do something about Antifa and the left."
Antifa is an anti-fascist, left-wing political movement.
Moments later, jubilant messages erupted across Proud Boys’ social media channels as members of the group celebrated the president’s remarks, in some cases taking it as an endorsement for their violent tactics.
Prominent Proud Boy leader Enrique Tarrio replied on Twitter “Standing by, Sir” while another member wrote: “President Trump told the proud boys to stand by because someone needs to deal with Antifa ... well sir! We’re ready!!”
Joe Biggs, another prominent Proud Boys supporter on social media who organised recent anti-Antifa protests in Portland posted, “This makes me so happy.”
The post was viewed 12,000 times in two hours and spread across mainstream platforms. Mr Biggs soon followed-up the post with a logo adopting the president’s debate-night statement as a Proud Boys slogan. It was viewed just over 9,000 times in an hour on Parler.
Commentators criticised the president’s refusal clearly condemn white supremacists and accused him of fomenting violence even as the Trump campaign tweeted clips of him previously condemning racism and the Ku Klux Klan.
“Proud Boys in social media groups are going wild about the ‘Stand back and stand by’ comment. They are basically seeing it as acknowledgement and a call to arms,” NBC reporter Ezra Kaplan said.
The group, which describes itself as "a pro-western fraternal organisation for men," was created by the Vice magazine co-founder Gavin McInnes in 2016 in the run-up to Donald Trump's election.
In contrast to the president’s assertion on Tuesday night that left-wing groups were a bigger problem than right-wing groups, Mr Trump’s nominee to lead the agency in charge of curbing domestic terrorism, Chad Wolf, told senators this month that White supremacists have become the “most persistent and lethal threat” to the US from within the country.
Asked about Mr Trump's reference to the Proud Boys on Tuesday, Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the president's campaign, appeared to backtrack, saying it was "very clear he wants them to knock it off," the New York Times reported. In an interview with Fox News, the Trump campaign said the president has repeatedly "denounced white supremacists" over the years.
The Proud Boys have a history of endorsing violence and is classified by the Southern Poverty Law Centre civil rights organisation as a hate group. The Anti-Defamation League said its membership includes “hard-core white supremacists” with a misogynistic, Islamophobic and anti-immigrant ideology.
Two members were sentenced to prison in 2019 for assaulting left-wing protesters after an event in New York City, and in 2018, Twitter and Facebook suspended Proud Boys from their platforms, citing policies against hate speech and organisations that promote it.
Earlier this week, fashion brand Fred Perry withdrew one of its polo shirt designs after it was adopted by the group, saying it was “incredibly frustrating” to see its logo associated with the neo-fascist organisation.
At a rally in Portland, Oregon, organised by the group on Saturday, several hundred people, some carrying firearms and wearing military-style body armour, gathered to support Mr Trump and his “law and order” re-election campaign before the debate.
A speaker at the event urged supporters to run for all local offices possible and “infiltrate all agencies” while others wielded baseball bats and chased left-wing protesters away.
With another Proud Boys rally planned in Portland this week, Governor Kate Brown has declared a state of emergency in anticipation of widespread violence.
“Let’s be clear: The Proud Boys are white supremacists. Racism and hate are not forms of patriotism. The power is yours. Vote,” she wrote in a tweet on Wednesday.
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Age: 30
Position: Senior lab superintendent at Emirates Global Aluminium
Education: Bachelor of science in chemical engineering, post graduate degree in light metal reduction technology
Favourite part of job: The challenge, because it is challenging
Favourite quote: “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” Gandi
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
