The far-right Proud Boys and their founder, Gavin McInnes, have been banned from Facebook and Instagram because of policies against hate groups, the company announced. The Southern Poverty Law Center calls the all-male Proud Boys a hate group, but the Proud Boys reject the label and describe themselves as "Western chauvinists who refuse to apologize for creating the modern world." A spokeswoman for Facebook, which also owns Instagram, said in a statement, "Our team continues to study trends in organized hate and hate speech and works with partners to better understand hate organizations as they evolve." The loss of the platforms will likely hurt the Proud Boys' ability to recruit. The Southern Poverty Law Center reported in August that regional Proud Boys chapters were vetting new members through private Facebook chatrooms.

Source: Fox News October 31, 2018 20:48 UTC