Proud Boys got over US$80,000 in donations from Chinese-Americans a month before Capitol attack
- The amount was sent as part of a crowdfunding effort to help the far-right group pay for medical expenses after a clash with BLM protesters
- Donors said they contributed because they felt that the US was under attack from communism
The fundraiser was set up on the Christian fundraising site GiveSendGo on December 17, five days after the incident.
The crowdfunding effort raised a total of US$106,107 – 80 per cent of which came from Asian-Americans and the broader Chinese diaspora, according to USA Today, which obtained data from the whistle-blower site Distributed Denial of Secrets.
The investigation tracked some donations to addresses in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
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The donors also told the paper they felt the Proud Boys were protecting the country from antifa and the Black Lives Matter protesters.
“You have to understand how we feel – we came from communist China and we managed to come here and we appreciate it here so much,” said Rebecca Kwan, who donated US$500, USA Today reported.
“The Proud Boys are for Trump, and they are fighting antifa, and can you see anything good that antics did except destroy department stores and small businesses?”
Another donor, Donald Wang from New York, who donated US$50 to the organisation, told USA Today: “The Proud Boys are protecting the innocent people. A lot of people in my community support them.”
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Aftermath of US Capitol assault by Trump supporters
The Proud Boys were among the mob who stormed the US Capitol on January 6, which resulted in the deaths of five people, including a police officer. At least 21 of its members have since been charged with federal crimes for their roles in the attack.
The chairman of the far-right organisation, Enrique Tarrio, said in a statement to USA Today: “I am happy that Asians support the Proud Boys because of the continuous hate and the relentless assault they get from BLM supporters. So to the Asian community, I’d like to say Thank You.”
In February, Tarrio was unmasked as a former FBI informant, leading some chapters of the organisation to distance themselves from the central leadership.
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The FBI described the Proud Boys as an “extremist group with ties to white nationalism.” The agency’s director, Christopher Wray, said in a testimony before Congress last year he wished the FBI had been better able to penetrate the group ahead of the riot.
