Among the group’s targets: journalists, a historic Black Church in Virginia, an Islamic Center in Texas, a former U.S. cabinet member, and Old Dominion University, where Kelley previously attended. In November 2018, Kelley proposed that the group target its school, which resulted in a bomb threat on campus.
“Attacks are serious crimes that disrupt the operations of local emergency agencies, first respond to take away from real emergencies and put the victims, community members and law enforcement in serious danger,” Raj Parekh, the acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, said in the release. said.
Kelley’s sentencing is the latest development in the country’s settlement of racially motivated hate crimes, especially as white supremacist groups have felt encouraged by former President Donald Trump over the past few years and in light of the deadly riots at the Capitol on January 6.
In the aftermath of these riots, law enforcement officers worked to arrest members of the Proud Boys, who played a key role in the violent activities that day. Many of those who stormed the Capitol that day said they felt there at the invitation of the president.
During his presidency, Trump often enjoyed the support of these groups, which drew around him as an icon who was not afraid to speak what was on his mind. And in a presidential debate in September, when Trump was asked to expose white supremacist and nationalist groups, including the Proud Boys, he refused. Instead, he replied, “Stand back and stand by.”
In August 2017, a Unite the Right rally was held in Charlottesville, Va., Where white nationalists gathered for a demonstration. Trump’s response to the protest drew fierce criticism after he said there were “a lot of good people on both sides”. Some saw his words as an attempt to equate white supremacists with those who protested against it. A counter-protester was killed after being hit by a car during the protest.