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Pro-Trump Proud Boys Member Arrested for Homophobic NYC Assault

Gavin McInnes' far-right hate group fought anti-fascist protesters in the street.

The NYPD has made another arrest in connection with a recent Proud Boys brawl, during which members of the pro-Trump hate group fought anti-fascists in the street, CBS News reports.

The violence erupted last Friday night in New York City following a speech by Gavin McInnes, founder of the far-right organization Proud Boys. McInnes' supporters yelled homophobic slurs while attacking anti-fascist protesters outside the Metropolitan Republican Club.

Geoffrey Young, 38, believed to be a Proud Boys member, was arrested Thursday. He was charged with riot and attempted assault.

According to a police report, three protesters chased a Proud Boys supporter as he left the building, ultimately punching him and taking his backpack. These protesters were arrested and freed without bail on charges of burglary and assault. While multiple witnesses claimed the Proud Boys were the aggressors, no other arrests were made on the scene.

Police Commissioner James O’Neill said video of the brawl was being reviewed to determine if additional arrests are warranted. The NYPD later confirmed they were seeking charges against 12 people, including nine Proud Boys members.

New York City and state leaders have been calling for the FBI and State Police Hate Crimes Unit to investigate the incident and bring these men to justice, including New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. Other elected officials calling for legal action include State Attorney General Barbara Underwood, Public Advocate Letitia James, Comptroller Scott Stringer, and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson.

"These vile acts of racism, division and discrimination are repugnant to American values, and have no place in our state," Cuomo wrote in a statement. "Why did this club invite the Proud Boys, a hate group with a history of inciting violence? Do you believe they have a positive contribution to the political dialogue at this time?"

“Someone tried to take one of their MAGA hats and this happened,” wrote onlooker Sandi Bachom, a journalist, who posted a YouTube video that appears to show a mob of Proud Boys members kicking and punching three anti-fascist protesters. Journalist Shay Horse tweeted about the fight involving “30 (proud boys) V 3 (randoms),” adding, “It ended with 30 proud boys pummeling a guy on the ground screaming, ‘ARE YOU BRAVE NOW FAGGOT?!’”

ThinkProgress also reported that the white nationalist group “took to the streets, brutally beating and kicking several individuals while shouting ‘faggot’ and ‘cocksucker,’ reportedly because one of them stole one of their MAGA hats.”

Earlier this week McInnes defended his group's use of the slur “faggot," calling it a "handy term" that's "very rarely used against gays."

Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images

BERKELEY, CA - APRIL 27: Right wing provocateur and Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes (C) pumps his fist during a rally at Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center Park on April 27, 2017 in Berkeley, California. Protestors gathered in Berkeley to protest the cancellation of a speech by American conservative political commentator Ann Coulter at UC Berkeley. (Photo by Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images)

Some of McInnes’ supporters were also heard chanting “I like beer,” referencing comments made by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh during the United States Senate Judiciary Committee hearings regarding Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegations.

Proud Boys, a misogynistic and anti-Muslim fraternity known for acts of political violence, has been characterized as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. McInnes has reportedly told his followers that "fighting solves everything." Jason Kessler, organizer of last year's deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, was a Proud Boy.

McInnes, who has made many anti-transgender statements, made headlines earlier this year when he said Fire and Fury author Michael Wolff is untrustworthy because of his “gay face.” McInnes is also co-founder of Vice Media but left the company in 2008.

McInnes’ lecture at the Metropolitan Republican Club was reportedly about Japanese right-wing extremist Otoya Yamaguchi, who assassinated Japan Socialist Party leader Inejiro Asanuma with a sword in 1960.

Right-wing media such as Fox News have ignored the aggression of the Proud Boys and characterized the brawl solely as left-wing violence.

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