Enrique Tarrio

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Tarrio, being a smug asshole.
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What are we to make of [Enrique] Tarrio — and, more broadly, of Latino voters inspired by Trump? And what are we to make of unmistakably White mob violence that also includes non-White participants? I call this phenomenon multiracial whiteness — the promise that they, too, can lay claim to the politics of aggression, exclusion and domination.
—Cristina Beltrán[1]

Henry "Enrique" Tarrio (1984/85–) is a far-right and neo-fascist political activist, FBI informant, and former Proud Boys member and leader from 2018 to 2021.[2] Tarrio's existence as a black and Hispanic man, who is not only part of a neo-fascist group, but is also a key leader of one, shows how even people of color are not immune to radicalization by fascism.

Before the Proud Boys[edit]

Tarrio hails from Little Havana, a Cuban neighborhood and enclave in Miami, Florida. He was raised Catholic.[3]

Tarrio was a criminal during most of his youth. He was charged with various petty crimes over the years, such as theft and reselling diabetic testing strips. He would aid authorities in exposing others who had done the same and outing weed growers.[4] This would later be similar to his betrayal of the Proud Boys after the Capitol riot. Several years before joining the Proud Boys, he was an organizer for Latinos for Trump in Florida.[5]

Proud Boys[edit]

Tarrio began his work as a Proud Boys operative in 2017, when he volunteered to join Milo Yiannopoulos in Miami to join a counter protest of the removal of a confederate monument there when he was approached by a member of the organization who convinced him to join.[6][7]

Tarrio joined the organization soon after in 2018, becoming a fourth-degree[8] member by engaging in various violent political activities. Some examples are stealing a Black Lives Matter banner from the Asbury United Methodist Church (a historically black church in Washington, D.C.), vandalizing said church as well as 3 other churches, assaulting an Antifa protestor, burning a Black Lives Matter banner, and the illegal possession of multiple high-capacity magazines, which landed him a D.C. jail.[9] Tarrio was conditionally released from police custody on January 5, 2021.[10]

Capitol riot[edit]

See the main article on this topic: 2021 U.S. coup attempt

Though Tarrio was not at the 2021 U.S. Capitol riot, he was responsible for putting the events in motion. Tarrio was indicted in a D.C. court on charges of conspiracy, and was sentenced to 22 years in prison.[11]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Opinion | To understand Trump’s support, we must think in terms of multiracial Whiteness by Cristina Beltrán (January 15, 2021 4:44 PM), The Washington Post.
  2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/legal-issues/tarrio-proud-boy-jail-sentence/2021/08/23/df06b84a-041b-11ec-a266-7c7fe02fa374_story.html
  3. https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/proud-boys-leader-enrique-henry-tarrio-was-once-a-regular-miami-kid-12889526
  4. https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/who-is-enrique-tarrio-ex-proud-boys-leader-sentenced-for-jan-6-attack-has-a-rap-sheet-including-theft-when-he-was-20-101693964408218-amp.html
  5. https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2020/10/01/politics/proud-boys-leader-latinos-for-trump/index.html
  6. https://www.miaminewtimes.com/news/inside-miami-alt-right-and-proud-boys-chapter-10945821
  7. https://www.businessinsider.com/proud-boys-chairman-says-members-run-for-office-election-2020-9
  8. How Hate Goes ‘Mainstream’: Gavin McInnes and the Proud Boys by Sharona Coutts (Aug 28, 2017, 3:27pm) Rewire News Group.
  9. Enrique Tarrio, leader of rightwing Proud Boys, arrested ahead of rallies: He was charged with destruction of property – related to his role in burning a Black Lives Matter banner – and a firearms offense by Lois Beckett (4 Jan 2021 21.03 EST) The Guardian.
  10. Proud Boys Leader Released From Police Custody And Ordered To Leave D.C. by Laurel Wamsley (January 5, 20215:15 PM ET) NPR.
  11. Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio charged with conspiracy in US Capitol attack; allegedly met Oath Keepers head in DC parking garage by Holmes Lybrand et al. (March 8, 2022) CNN.