Pro-LGBTQ anti-war activists, or right-wing extremists? Internet goes ballistic after Jimmy Dore interviews ‘Boogaloo’ member

Jimmy Dore has found himself at the center of an ideological internet feud after the left-wing pundit suggested that progressives share many common causes with the Boogaloo movement, often denounced as a far-right militia.

The popular political commentator and comedian interviewed a self-described “Boogaloo Boi,” Magnus Panvidya, after seeing a video of the gun-toting radical denouncing US wars and corporate power during a speech in front of the Michigan State Capitol. 

Noting that he couldn’t find anything in the speech that he disagreed with, Dore explained that he decided to invite Panvidya onto his show to “explore his beliefs further.” 

Panvidya described himself as an anarchist who had a long history of environmental activism, rejecting the claim that the Boogaloo Bois were white supremacists or right-wing extremists. 

He described the movement as a “libertarian/Green Party militia,” arguing that it has been regularly mischaracterized by inaccurate media reports. Known for their Hawaiian shirts, the Boogaloo Bois have been spotted at demonstrations across the United States following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis Police in May. The group has called for a revolution in the United States, peaceful or otherwise. 

According to Panvidya, armed Boogaloo members have provided security at numerous Black Lives Matter protests sparked by Floyd’s death, stressing that the movement was similarly opposed to police brutality. He added that, despite claims to the contrary, the group is anti-discrimination and supports LGBTQ+ rights. 

He insisted that some people who affiliate with the movement do not accurately represent its values, adding that crackdowns on their social media accounts have made it more difficult to coordinate activities and weed out troublemakers. 

“Being libertarian and being in this weird middle ground… We’re used to all sorts of people claiming a bunch of things about us that aren’t true,” Panvidya told Dore. 

Later tweeting about the interview, Dore said that he was “completely floored” to learn that Panvidya and his comrades shared many political and social views held by progressives and wanted “unity” with the Left. 

Unsurprisingly, the discussion split social media, with some insisting that the Bois have been unfairly slandered by the media, while others took the polar opposite view and accused Dore of giving favorable news coverage to “white supremacists.”

Right-wing commentator Michael Malice gently chided Dore for expressing surprise about the interview, suggesting that it was no secret that the movement was tolerant and libertarian. 

Others said they were pleasantly surprised by Panvidya, even while expressing concerns that he may not be an accurate representation of what the movement stands for. 

However, judging by the responses to Dore’s tweet, the interview was generally not well received. The left-wing commentator was bombarded with mocking memes painting him as naive and gullible. 

Liberal journalist Eoin Higgins trashed the interview, comparing it to someone interviewing a scorpion and being told by the predatory arachnid that it is “pro not stinging me.”

Some went a step further, accusing Dore of collaborating with “white supremacists” and “Nazis.”

Dore is no stranger to upsetting the liberal orthodoxy. He was recently attacked by liberal pundits for appearing on Fox News host Tucker Carlson’s show. The pair discussed the case for Donald Trump pardoning Julian Assange, with Carlson conceding that Dore had convinced him the WikiLeaks co-founder should be released. Some commentators claimed that Dore was lending credibility to the Fox News personality's “far-right” agenda by coming on his program.

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