Proud Boys Canada dissolves itself and says it was never a 'white supremacy' group

Canadian government says the group played a pivotal role in the deadly attack on the US Capitol in January

Canada named the Proud Boys a terrorist entity after the January 6 riot in Washington. Getty

Proud Boys Canada, a far-right group that Ottawa named as a terrorist entity, has dissolved itself and said it had done nothing wrong.

In February, Canada said the group posed an active security threat and played a "pivotal role" in the deadly attack on the US Capitol in January, carried out by supporters of former president Donald Trump.

US authorities charged several members of the Proud Boys in connection with the January 6 assault.

"The truth is, we were never terrorists or a white supremacy group," said a statement posted by the administrator of the official Proud Boys channel on Telegram.

"We are electricians, carpenters, financial advisers, mechanics, etc. More than that, we are fathers, brothers, uncles and sons."

Founded in 2016, the Proud Boys began as an organisation protesting against political correctness and perceived constraints on masculinity in the US and Canada.

It is a self-described "western chauvinist" group that admits only men.

Since its foundation, it has also embraced street fighting.

The group's founder, Gavin McInnes, is a Canadian who lives in the US.

Canada's Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said in February that domestic intelligence forces had become increasingly concerned about the group.