Western States Center Statement on Proud Boys Leader Joe Biggs Being Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for His Role in January 6 Insurrection

Washington D.C. – This morning, Joe Biggs, a leader of the Proud Boys who led the infamous march to the capitol on January 6, 2021, was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Earlier this year, a Washington DC jury had convicted Joe Biggs of several charges including seditious conspiracy for attempting to forcibly prevent the peaceful transfer of power. In response to this sentencing, Lindsay Schubiner, Director of Programs at Western States Center, a Portland-based civil rights group that monitors anti-democracy movements nationwide, issued the following statement:

“Today’s sentencing of Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs is another important milestone on the journey to accountability for the perpetrators of the insurrection on January 6, 2021. The sustained legal pressure we’ve seen 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.”