- Twitter, under a policy against violent organizations, permanently banned the proud boys in 2018.
- A USA TODAY review found accounts using group terms and images. Then Twitter removed it.
- The possible sale of Elon Musk raises questions about whether this ban will be lifted.
On April 26, a five-month-old Twitter account with @LegacyChaser369 pinned a tweet to his profile that started: “The Proud Boys are back on Twitter! #NewProfilePic #POYB #Westisthebest #Uhuru #maga”
The pinned tweet, placed on top of any other posts, was a working glossary of extremist street gang language known as the “Proud Boys”. But if the insider’s terms weren’t clear enough, there was a banner image: a group of proud boys holding hands at either side of “OK” signs, a well-known crowd symbol for white supremacy.
