The Canadian government added 13 organizations to its list of "terrorist entities" on Wednesday (February 3). The updated list includes several U.S.-based groups, including the Proud Boys, The Base, and the Atomwaffen Division. Most of the groups on the list are associated with Islamic terrorism, including the Taliban, Islamic State, and Al Qaida.
"No matter the ideological motivation, they're all hateful, intolerant and, as we've seen, they can be highly dangerous," Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said.
Canada cited the Proud Boys' role in the January 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building during a joint session of Congress as one of the reasons they were added to the list.
"The group and its members have openly encouraged, planned, and conducted violent activities against those they perceive to be opposed to their ideology and political beliefs," Public Safety Canada wrote.
While the designation does not make it a crime to belong to the group, it gives the government more power to investigate members and make it more difficult for them to recruit new members and raise money.
Under the law, people who provide financial support to the groups on the list could face criminal charges and have their assets frozen.
"It makes it much, much harder for these groups to operate in any meaningful way in Canada. Canadians can no longer interact with them in any substantial way, and if they do, they could face a criminal offense," Sarah Teich, a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and a counter-terrorism researcher, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
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