Chilling ‘vote Trump or we’ll come after you’ email allegedly from Proud Boys extremists sent to LGBT+ voter
Proud Boys members marching (Elijah Nouvelage/Getty)
An alleged Proud Boys email warned recipients to “vote Trump or we will come after you”, with an LGBT+ rights group calling for a swift investigation.
An LGBT+ voter, whose name has not been released, contacted Equality Florida with details of the email.
In a screenshot of the email shared by the LGBT+ rights organisation, the voter was told: “We are in possession of all your information”.
It continued: “You are currently registered as a Democrat and we know this because we have gained access into the entire voting infrastructure. You will vote for Trump on election day or we will come after you.
“Change your party affiliation to Republican to let us know you received our message and will copy. We will know which candidate you voted for. I would take this seriously if I were you.”
The Proud Boys is a far-right extremist group and was founded in 2016 by Gavin McInnes. The group has been named as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).
Alleged Proud Boys email is ‘outrageous case of voter intimidation’.
Nadine Smith, executive director at Equality Florida, said the email was an “outrageous case of voter intimidation just 14 days before the most consequential presidential election of our lifetimes”.
“The Proud Boys are among a cohort of dangerous, violent extremist groups who are working overtime to intimidate voters and depress turnout. We’re calling on federal officials to conduct a swift and thorough investigation, identify the source of this intimidation, and put a stop to it.
“If these emails did originate from the Proud Boys, it would amount to a grave attack on democracy by one of the most prominent hate groups in the country with the goal of helping secure Donald Trump’s re-election.
“This moment calls for all of us to stand tall in the face of hate, denounce these attempts at intimidation, and demand justice for those trying to exercise the most fundamental right in our country.”
Similar emails have been sent to voters in other parts of the state, according to Florida Today.
In a statement, the Alachua County Sheriff said the email “appears to be a scam”. They said police will launch an investigation into the source of the email alongside federal investigators.
“We here at the Sheriff’s Office and the Alachua County Supervisor of Elections are aware of an email that is circulating, purported to be from the Proud Boys,” the sheriff’s statement said.
“In the email, the sender claims to have personal information and directs the receiver how to vote or there will be consequences.”
The email was reportedly tied to the website domain officialproudboys.com, which was shut down on Monday (October 19) by its web host.
The incident comes just weeks after a Pride Boys hashtag was hijacked by the LGBT+ community on Twitter in an effort to drown out hate with love after Donald Trump refused to denounce the group at a presidential debate.
