Western States Center Statement on Enrique Tarrio Being Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for His Role in January 6 Insurrection

Washington D.C. – Just now, a leader of the Proud Boys, who played a major role in organizing the insurrection on January 6, 2021, was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Last week, a Washington DC jury had convicted Proud Boy Joe Biggs of several charges including seditious conspiracy for attempting to forcibly prevent the peaceful transfer of power.

In response to this sentencing, Stephen Piggott, Momentum Program Director at Western States Center, a Portland-based civil rights group that monitors anti-democracy movements nationwide, issued the following statement:

“Today’s sentencing of Enrique Tarrio is another important milestone on the journey to accountability for the perpetrators of the insurrection on January 6, 2021. Tarrio’s sentence is of major significance due to his leadership role in the Proud Boys and the fact that it is the longest sentence we’ve seen to date. It is a clear sign that political violence and attacks on our democratic institutions can be taken seriously by our justice system and must not be tolerated by the American people. 

“The Proud Boys have a long history of engaging in and promoting political violence. The attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th was not an anomaly, and the threat of political violence from anti-democracy groups like the Proud Boys, Oath Keepers and Patriot Front, remains high.

“As we recognize the importance of accountability, we must remember that prosecution is only one aspect of managing the threat posed by bigoted and anti-democracy movements. We continue to call for a whole-of-government approach to challenging white nationalism and anti-democracy activity. For too long our elected leaders have used dangerous rhetoric that fuels the type of political violence we saw that day. We must denounce this rhetoric and treat the violence it promotes as the existential threat that it is.”