Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio jailed for burning Black Lives Matter flag

Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the ‘Proud Boys’ was given a prison term of more than five months after burning a Black Lives Matter flag torn down from a church in Washington. The accusations also included carrying firearm magazines into the United States’ national capital in January this year, according to US media reports.

Tarrio, who is believed to be in his late 30s, apologised to the court officials for his actions, saying they were a “grave mistake”, according to reports from Associated Press.

United States authorities previously affirmed that the banner, which had the text “#BLACKLIVESMATTER” on it, was taken down from the Asbury United Methodist Church in mid-December 2020 and was burned using flammable fluids. 

Tarrio posted a picture of himself holding an unlit lighter to his Parler account and admitted days later in an interview with The Washington Post that he joined in the burning of the banner.

A senior pastor of the church Rev. Dr. Ianther Mills labelled the incident as an “act of intimidation and racism”.

She further added, “His careless act of violence and hatred, targeted at a congregation of individuals with a lived history of social and racial injustice, had the presumably desired effect. Asbury was forced to reckon with the very tangible evidence that we continue to live in a world where people radicalize hate based upon race and skin color”, according to reports from Associated Press.

Tarrio, from Miami, was arrested as he arrived in Washington two days before thousands of supporters of then-President Donald Trump — including members of the Proud Boys — descended on the US Capitol and disrupted the certification of the Electoral College vote, Associated Press reported.

Tarrio was ordered to stay away from Washington, and law enforcement later said Tarrio was picked up in part to help quell potential violence.

(With inputs from Associated Press)