Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. As evidence continues to surface regarding the planning of the Jan. 6 insurrection, those of us who spent years litigating against the organizers of the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, are experiencing a terrifying form of déjà vu. Some of the latest evidence to emerge from the insurrection investigation is a recording of a Dec. 30, 2021, videoconference led by the chairman of the Proud Boys, Enrique Tarrio, and some of his top lieutenants. The meeting was purportedly intended to outline a "code of conduct" for the group's Jan. 6 event. The video is littered with conspicuous calls for members to be prepared to act in "self-defense." An investigation by The New York Times revealed, however, that none of those orders were actually followed on the ground. But those familiar with white supremacist culture realize they were likely never meant to be. Indeed, as our four-week trial in Charlottesville revealed, white supremacists have historically hidden their violent intentions behind the guise of self-defense.

At the Dec. 30 meeting, Proud Boys members proclaimed themselves the so-called Ministry of Self-Defense and were expressly advised to adopt a defensive posture on Jan. 6, or in their words, to "always be the ones to f**king defend." In private messages, however, the Proud Boys appeared more interested in provoking violence, stating in a subsequent ministry group chat things like, "[t]ime to stack those bodies in front of Capitol Hill." In real life, according to The New York Times investigation, "Proud Boys members repeatedly instigated those around them, a tactic they referred to in private messages as 'riling up the normies.'" Characteristically, the actions of the Jan. 6 participants spoke much louder than their words.