KGMI News
By Tracy Ellis

UPDATE with response from Western Front

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Some people are worried about the appearance of recruitment fliers in downtown Bellingham for the Proud Boys.

But should they be?

The Western Front did a story about this.

Proud Boys member Anthony Edward Bell says that story is wrong.

“That was just completely full of lies. I’ve never read so many lies about us in my life. That’s really damaging to our group and to who we are. Any race is welcome, we have members that are black, we have members that are Mexican, anybody. Gay people are allowed in our group. There is nothing about us that is white nationalist group whatsoever. Their reporting was very unfair and biased.”

Bell says they aren’t alt-right or White Nationalists and they support racial equality and the rights of women and members of the LGBTQ community.

The paper says it 100 percent stands behind its reporting.

They says they spoke to multiple experts with years of experience studying white nationalist groups and hate groups.

The Southern Poverty Law Center told the Western Front the Proud Boys are more violent than typical white nationalist groups.

Devin Burghart with the Institute of Research and Education on Human Rights told the student paper the arguments the Proud Boys put forward and the ideas they promote are grounded in racism.