A recent article showed Proud Boys being attacked by Antifa members. A first hand account by Damion claimed they were innocent and victorious in their fight against antifa members in Ottowa.
This is more a statement than a research question. Interviews of group members revealed that they are the target of Antifa attacks and those attacks are largely unprovoked.
I have tried to contact Antifa members to comment, but they prefer anonymity over communication with outsiders.
Has anyone contacted or tried to contact this group before?
The individuals are not at fault for being who they are. Around groups aimed at violence against them, it's best to just keep being who you are and avoid those groups. Escalation, hate, and fear-mongering disguised as resistance and peaceful protest aren't the same. It's our duty to ourselves and our country to challenge laws that don't suit us. That can be done non-violently. These proud boys need to report this violence and seek help and resources. Intimidation and telling people who they are or not as individuals is not ok. Telling your government what you need is perfectly fine. Protests lead to visibility if they are peaceful. Riots stomp out their purpose. Talk to your government officials. Start and support non-profits. Protect yourself.
Here here! hate/hear say/ and associative invasion/inversion strategies of confusion, (homicide) where acclimation of U.S. culture and evolutionary survival (constitution) is about abolishment and alienable rights (natural law foundation).
The project has evolved since the initial question. I have had no success contacting Antifa members and my one attempt backfired in a very public way. There are trolling sites that pose as Antifa members. What I shared with one group psiing as Antifa members was shared with the leader of the Proud Boys, who has now made a concerted effort to discredit me as an "Anti Trump Academic."
Really bizarre for me to see this question raised from the other side of the Atlantic. We have been trying (without success) to engage with members since Antifa graffiti was put up here, and a number of social media posts around their activities.
So far, I have been able to contact one, through twitter. The problem verifying real accounts, so you have to find people who are far left leaning, or express far left leaning sentiments and then tweet members who have antifa ties.
I've only been successful contacting one. Once my methods are approved, officially, by my IRB, I will continue.
Good luck! If I have any success at this end i'll let you know. I run a community tension monitoring group, and am writing on this subject hence the interest (beyond my professional concerns...).
My aims are to see how the Proud Boys view themselves in relation to Antifa and the Alt. right. Also to see how memebers view themselves within the context of their own group.
Additionaly, I wish to see how Antifa view themselves in a similar fashion in relation to the Proud Boys, the alt. Right, the national vanguard and what they feel unites them as a group.
I am not sure if I am allowed to provide IRB details, but I had a series of expansion to me preexisting protocol in order to do so.
Some journalists have had success. Here's a link to the work of Willamette Week, an alt-weekly in Portland, Ore. http://www.wweek.com/search/antifa/?q=antifa
Be careful.
Are you still researching this? I may be able to help get you in contact with someone.
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