Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio admitted it was “hypocritical” to cancel perceived leftists over their reactions to the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, but that he considers it “an eye for an eye.”
Tarrio, who led the far-right group from 2018 to 2021, says he has formed a network henchmen who scour social media for posts celebrating Kirk’s killing – and pressure the user’s employer to fire them.
Those who have been fired due to his team’s efforts are being referred to as “scalps,” Tarrio told The Atlantic.
“It’s funny because this was a tactic that was used on us from 2017 forward. We got deplatformed, debanked,” Tarrio claimed.
“It sucked for us. I always said that I wouldn’t do it back to anybody. But since then, I’ve been incarcerated for something I didn’t do,” he said, referring to his conviction of seditious conspiracy for his role in the January 6, 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.
“So I’m in a different mindset right now. An eye for an eye right now,” he added.
Tarrio was sentenced to 22 years in prison – the longest conviction for any Capitol rioter. However, he was pardoned on President Donald Trump’s first day back in office, along with over 1,500 other MAGA supporters who had been convicted of January 6-related crimes.
Efforts from the Proud Boys – as well as by other Republican leaders – have resulted in scores of firings. On Monday, while hosting an episode of The Charlie Kirk Show, Vice President JD Vance told viewers to “call them out, and hell, call their employer” if they noticed mocking or derogatory references to Kirk’s death.
The firings include an American Airlines pilot, a Texas Roadhouse operator in Florida, and a Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers employee, according to the report.
Meanwhile, Tarrio claimed more than 100 people have lost their jobs as a result of his group’s initiative.
“I guess it’s kind of hypocritical of us after saying, ‘oh free speech’ or whatever,” Tarrio said. “But the problem is the right isn’t good at fighting dirty. Now they’ve figured it out. And it’s working.”
Republicans have demanded action against people who reacted to his killing by “praising, rationalising, or making light” of it or by “belittling” Kirk’s memory – with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warning that the Pentagon was “tracking closely” those who celebrate his murder.
The retaliation has also impacted late night TV, as Jimmy Kimmel’s show was pulled off air “indefinitely” Wednesday after the host said earlier this week that the “MAGA gang” was trying to “score political points” from Kirk’s fatal shooting.
Trump celebrated the news, and also appeared to call for the ousting of other late-night hosts, including Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers, both of whom have been critical of his presidency.
The cancelation of Kimmel’s show comes months after CBS said Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show” would end in May, blaming financial reasons. Colbert’s show was also pulled just days after the host criticized the settlement between Trump and CBS’s parent company, Paramount Global, over a “60 Minutes” story.
Tyler Robinson, the 22-year-old man suspected of killing Kirk, was officially charged with aggravated murder and six other counts on Tuesday. Authorities say he held a “leftist ideology,” though an exact motive has not been shared.
He faces the death penalty if convicted.
