All articles tagged with #southern poverty law center
The FBI has ended its relationship with the Southern Poverty Law Center, citing an administration effort to combat anti-Christian bias and political pressures, following similar disaffiliations with the Anti-Defamation League, amidst ongoing debates over hate group classifications and extremism tracking.
Anti-Israel vandals spray-painted "Free Palestine" and "GAZA" on the wall of a high school in the predominantly Jewish neighborhood of Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh, near the Tree of Life synagogue, one day before the fifth anniversary of the deadly shooting that claimed the lives of 11 congregants. While Senator Ted Cruz and the Anti-Defamation League condemned the vandalism, the Southern Poverty Law Center, which claims to combat hate groups and anti-Semitism, has remained silent. The vandalism comes amid a rise in anti-Semitic incidents in the US following the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas.
The Charleston County Moms for Liberty chapter has been labeled an extremist, anti-government organization by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) in its annual Year in Hate & Extremism Report. The designation puts Moms for Liberty on the same list as neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and anti-LGBTQ+ groups. The SPLC claims the group is anti-teacher, anti-student, and anti-LGBTQ+. However, the group's chairwoman, Tara Wood, denies the allegations and says they are anti-government overreach. The SPLC tracked 30 active groups in South Carolina, and the increase this year is entirely made of the various Moms for Liberty organizations in 15 different counties.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has added Moms for Liberty, a conservative "parental rights" group, to its list of anti-government extremist entities, citing its efforts to fight COVID safety measures, ban books, limit discussion about race and LGBTQ identities, and populate local school boards with conservatives. The SPLC compares the group to pro-segregationist parent groups that attempted to re-segregate public schools during the civil rights movement. The group's co-founders deny the designation and claim to be empowering parents, but critics say their tactics are harmful and divisive. The group has gained political clout and will host a conference later this month with leading Republican presidential candidates as speakers.