Proud Boys A Hate Group? Founder Of Far-Right Group Sues Southern Poverty Law Center For Label

[UPDATE: 4:59 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include a statement from the Southern Poverty Law Center]

Gavin McInnes, founder of the far-right organization Proud Boys, filed a lawsuit Monday against the Southern Poverty Law Center for declaring it a hate group.

According to the suit, the categorization of Proud Boys as a hate group by the civil rights organization has deeply and negatively impacted McInnes' quality of life. McInnes blames the SPLC designation for everything from the suspension of his social media and PayPal accounts to becoming a public pariah in his own neighborhood. He also claims that it has rendered him economically inviable.

"Mr. McInnes is essentially an untouchable, unable to retain or be considered for gainful employment in his line of work," the suit reads.

Founded by McInness in 2016 as an organization for self-proclaimed "Western chauvinists," Proud Boys touts itself as a "pro-Western fraternal organization for men" — or, as many like the SLPC have stated more simply, a white supremacist group.

The SLPC currently lists Proud Boys on their official website as an "SPLC designated hate group."

"Their disavowals of bigotry are belied by their actions: rank-and-file Proud Boys and leaders regularly spout white nationalist memes and maintain affiliations with known extremists," the SPLC says on a page dedicated solely to Proud Boys.

"To paraphrase [former President Franklin D. Roosevelt], 'Judge us by the enemies we’ve made.' Gavin McInnes has a history of making inflammatory statements about Muslims, women, and the transgender community. The fact that he’s upset with SPLC tells us that we’re doing our job exposing hate and extremism. His case is meritless," the SPLC said in a statement.

The SPLC isn’t the only organization that has Proud Boys on their watchlist. According to documents in Washington state, the FBI in August had classified the organization as "an extremist group with ties to white nationalism," though a high-ranking member of Oregon's top FBI agent later contended, unofficially, that the group does not designate Proud Boys as an extremist group.

The Washington document stated that "Proud Boys members have contributed to the recent escalation of violence at political rallies held on college campuses,“ as well as the now-infamous 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Proud Boy members in October were accused of inciting violence and beating anti-fascist protestors after an event in New York City in which McInness made an appearance. Five members of the group were arrested after the attack, which had been caught on video.

McInness left Proud Boys in November in an effort to help members who were charged with assault and rioting.

"I am officially disassociating myself from the Proud Boys," McInnes said at the time. "In all capacities, forever, I quit."