Woman charged in Capitol melee says Proud Boys recruited her
February 17, 2021 9:45AM AKST
FILE – In this Sept. 26, 2020, file photo, a right-wing demonstrator, center, yells at a counter protester to leave a rally by members of the Proud Boys and other right-wing demonstrators in Portland, Ore. Alex DiBranco, executive director of the Institute for Research on Male Supremacism, said there are differences among Proud Boys chapters over whether to embrace women as Proud Girls or not, even as the group as a whole has become more hostile to women’s auxiliaries over the past couple of years. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)
By ROXANA HEGEMAN Associated Press
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — The recent arrest of an Arizona woman who prosecutors say was a member of a Proud Boys cell in Kansas City has intrigued experts who study extremist right-wing movements. The Proud Boys is a neofascist organization that describes itself as “Western chauvinists” and has long forbidden female members. Felicia Konold was charged last week with conspiracy, civil disorder and other charges stemming from the Jan. 6 melee at the U.S. Capitol. The Institute for Research on Male Supremacism says there are differences over whether to embrace women. But experts say they’re unaware of a situation where a woman was actually recruited to be a member of a Proud Boys chapter.
