Source: WRAL
A member of a far-right extremist group has thrown his name into the field of candidates vying for a seat on the Johnston County School Board. John Fischer, a member of the Proud Boys, is running for school board on the basis that issues such as slavery, women’s rights and segregation do not need to be taught and have no impact on our modern life, according to his campaign website.
Many parents and residents of Johnston County were troubled by this news and took to the Johnston County Board of Elections Facebook page to share their displeasure. “Over my dead body will a Proud Boy be in charge of my child’s education,” one person wrote.
Fischer’s campaign website features a link to the Proud Boys webpage. Fischer describes the Proud Boys as a “men’s only club”. The extremist group has a known history of violence including the attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021. The group has been designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Recently, the leader of the North Carolina Proud Boys, Charles Donohue, pled guilty for his involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol.
A person identified as Fischer was photographed at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021. The photos, posted on an anonymous twitter account, show Fischer standing on scaffolding in front of the capitol building. According to screenshots shared by the same account, Fischer livestreamed portions of the event to his personal Facebook page. These posts have since been deleted.
According to WRAL, “Fischer declined to comment on his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection due to the possibility he could be prosecuted.”
Fischer’s name will be on the ballot with 12 other candidates running for three open seats on the Johnston County Board of Education. The nonpartisan primary is on May 17th and early voting is currently underway. For more information about voting in Johnston County, please visit the Johnston County Board of Elections website.
