[[File:SPLC_Logo.jpg|right]]
The '''Southern Poverty Law Center''' is though founded with good activism in 1971, it has evolved and became also a destructive anti-values<ref name=jns-20june2023/> [[Leftist|far-Left]] <ref name=foxnews-9june2023/> legal and anti-American activist [[organization]] created in 1971 - on the other hand. Established in Montgomery, [[Alabama]]. It was founded by trial lawyers Morris Dees and Joe Levin, and its first president was civil rights leader [[Julian Bond]], who would later take control of the [[NAACP]], nevertheless, in its early years it has focused on fighting real hate. A dramatic change occurred in the Obama (admin.) years, including by branding any criticism of [[Islamism|extreme-ideology]] behind Jihad terror as supposed "hate." In recent years, while still doing good work on one hand, SPLC , on the other hand, supports a wide variety of extreme-[[liberal]] positions; it is anti-conservative Christianity, pro-[[immigration]] (both legal and [[illegal immigration|illegal]]), advocates [[multiculturalism]] and the [[homosexual agenda]], supports radical [[Muslim]]s and racial preferences and defendants' rights, and advocates against what it considers "hate groups." SPLC co-founder Dees was fired by the group in March 2019,<ref>Multiple references:
*Murphy, James (March 15, 2019). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/31757-splc-fires-founder-morris-dees-amid-lawsuits-and-credibility-crisis SPLC Fires Founder Morris Dees Amid Lawsuits and Credibility Crisis]. ''The New American''. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
*Caplan, Joshua (March 14, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/03/14/southern-poverty-law-center-fires-founder-morris-dees-suggests-misconduct/ Southern Poverty Law Center Fires Founder Morris Dees, Suggests Misconduct]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
The SPLC's op-ed writings have appeared in the [[Communist Party USA]]'s newspaper ''People's World''.<ref>[https://dailycaller.com/2011/01/22/splc-article-featured-in-communist-newspaper/ SPLC article featured in communist newspaper, The Daily Caller, January 22, 2011]</ref> This "controversial, liberal organization"<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/daily/dec98/southern19.htm</ref> has been criticized in mainstream press for being extravagant in its spending, and using charges of "racism" to stifle conservatives.<ref>http://cofcc.org/?p=984</ref> Despite the organization's [[far-left]] [[partisan]]ship and its slander of mainstream conservative and Christian organizations, the mainstream media continues to cite the SPLC as an "authority" on hate groups.<ref>Adams, Becket (February 23, 2019). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/dont-fall-for-the-splcs-lies Don't fall for the SPLC's lies]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved February 24, 2019.</ref>
"Critics have long accused the SPLC of falsely slapping the "hate group" label on non-violent groups that hold traditional beliefs about hot-button issues such as gay marriage and abortion."<ref name=foxnews-9june2023>Jessica Chasmar , Joe Schoffstall. [https://www.foxnews.com/politics/assault-conservative-groups-10-things-you-need-know-southern-poverty-law-center The SPLC apologized after labeling Ben Carson an ‘extremist’], ''Fox News'', June 9, 2023.</ref>
Some highlighted examplary cases:
<blockquote>
* In May 2016, the SPLC apologized to [[Ben Carson]] after placing the then-potential Republican presidential candidate on its "Extremist Watch List" — which is mostly made up of hate groups and white supremacists — for allegedly being "anti-gay."
* In 2018, the SPLC agreed to publicly apologize and pay $3.375 million in damages after branding British anti-extremism group Quilliam Foundation and its founder, Maajid Nawaz, "anti-Muslim" extremists.</blockquote>
==Finances==
The SPLC has been described as a "money-making scam," which a former staffer has affirmed.<ref>Kirkwood, R. Cort (March 22, 2019). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/politics/item/31809-former-staffer-admits-splc-is-a-money-making-scam Former Staffer Admits SPLC Is a Money-making Scam]. ''The New American''. Retrieved March 23, 2019.</ref>
==SPLC's list of 'hate groups'==
SPLC lists over 1000 organizations as hate groups. Many of these are widely accepted but the list continues to grow with the controversial additions of [[conservative]] and [[Christianity|Christian]] organizations. Conservative political stances and Christian moral stances that the SLPC disagrees with are now targeted, many of these additions are organizations for the general welfare of American citizens and are not associated with hate.<ref>Wilcox, Dale (March 1, 2019). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/03/01/wilcox-splcs-hate-map-hysteria-enables-hoaxes/ Wilcox: SPLC’s Hate Map Hysteria Enables Hoaxes]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved March 23, 2019.</ref> Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer has described the SPLC as "defamers and the blacklisters."<ref>[https://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2016/12/15/israeli-ambassador-ron-dermer-slams-southern-poverty-law-center-defamers-blacklisters/ Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer Slams Southern Poverty Law Center As ‘Defamers and Blacklisters’]. ''Breitbart News'' (from ''The Times of Israel''). Retrieved April 26, 2018.</ref>
*Watchmen Bible Study Group
*Mission to Israel
*[[Jewish Defense League]]
*[[Alliance Defending Freedom]]
The SPLC has set itself in blatant opposition to the Trump Administration.<ref>Bedard, Paul (March 28, 2019). [https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/southern-poverty-declares-war-on-trump-with-michelle-obama-aides-help Southern Poverty declares war on Trump, with Michelle Obama aide’s help]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved March 28, 2019.</ref>
All of the incidents listed above further prove the SPLC is a left-wing political organization, as well as itself being a hate group, <ref>[https://aschaper1.blogspot.com/2022/06/everything-you-need-to-know-about.html Everything You Need to Know about Alabama Hate Group "The Southern Poverty Law Center" (But Were Afraid to Ask)]</ref> rather than one focused on racism and civil rights. ===Demonizing activists for values=== In June 2023, the SPLC vilified parents who wish to protect their young children. It listed ‘Moms for Liberty’ a hate group.<ref>[https://www.wsj.com/articles/moms-for-liberty-splc-not-hate-group-a9f41819 Moms for Liberty Is Not a ‘Hate Group’], ''WSJ'', June 20, 2023.<blockquote>The SPLC vilifies parents who wish to protect their young children</blockquote></ref>'''Margaret Huang''' still defended its decision after backlash. We're not going to stop': Moms for Liberty co-founder slams Southern Poverty Law Center for labeling it an 'extremist' group - and accuses organization of an 'orchestrated attempt to stop our voices.{{Cquote|Undeterred by the label, Justice said: We're going to keep doing the work that we do across the country. We're set up by chapters. We have over 120,000 members. And if you talk to the moms and dads on the ground, they're concerned about some of the things that they're seeing taught in schools. They're concerned about the fact that not every American child is learning to read in school.' 'So we're going to keep focused on our mission of getting liberty-minded individuals elected to school board[s] and ensuring that parental rights are protected at every level of government.'<ref>Sophie Mann, [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12175591/Moms-Liberty-founder-slams-Southern-Poverty-Law-Center.html We're not going to stop': Moms for Liberty co-founder slams Southern Poverty Law Center for labeling it an 'extremist' group - and accuses organization of an 'orchestrated attempt to stop our voices'], ''Daily Mail'', 08 Jun 2023</ref>}} Mothers, Jewish leaders criticize Southern Poverty Law Center listing ‘Moms for Liberty’ a hate group. {{Cquote|Bethany Mandel, a mother and conservative columnist, and co-author with Karol Markowicz of the 2022 book '"Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation,'' has worked with Moms for Liberty; delivered speeches to its chapters; and befriended many of its members. She is going to the group’s summit, which begins later this month. “It is a group of passionate women who in no way resemble extremists or a hate group. The SPLC are beclowning themselves and exposing nothing but their own bias,” Mandel told JNS. “It’s unfortunate that the SPLC has made clear that Jewish families don’t have a reliable source for this kind of content,” she added. “They just have another left-wing group, which falsely uses antisemitism as a cudgel against its political enemies.” ‘Obvious anti-Jewish bias’ The Coalition for Jewish Values, which represents Orthodox rabbis, has stated that the Council on American-Islamic Relations ([[CAIR]]) and the Southern Poverty Law Center—both of which were listed as partnering organizations in the new White House national strategy on antisemitism—have demonstrated “obvious anti-Jewish bias.”<ref name=jns-20june2023>Bradley Martin, [https://www.jns.org/us-news/parents/23/6/20/296853/ Mothers, Jewish leaders criticize Southern Poverty Law Center listing ‘Moms for Liberty’ a hate group], ''JNS'', June 20, 2023.<blockquote><small> Rabbi Yaakov Menken of the Coalition for Jewish Values called the parental-rights group an ally to Orthodox Jews. (Those involved with Moms for Liberty in Washington state. Source: Facebook.[https://cdn.jns.org/uploads/2023/06/Moms-for-Liberty-1320x880.jpg]) The Southern Poverty Law Center is a Montgomery, Ala.-based nonprofit that according to its website was founded in 1971 “to ensure that the promise of the civil rights movement became a reality for all.” Before reaching that first paragraph on the group’s site, however, comes the SPLC’s self-identification as “a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance the human rights of all people.” SPLC is often quoted in news articles as an authority on whether an entity is a hate group, and as critics, including 100 Orthodox rabbis at one point, have noted, the law center often deems mainstream groups with traditional religious values as hateful on the basis of those values. In its report “Year in Hate and Extremism,” which SPLC released earlier this month, the group listed the nonprofit Moms for Liberty, and other parental-rights organizations, alongside the KKK and neo-Nazi groups. “Moms for Liberty is a far-right organization that engages in anti-student inclusion activities and self-identifies as part of the modern parental rights movement,” per the SPLC. Bethany Mandel, a mother and conservative columnist, and co-author with Karol Markowicz of the 2022 book '"Stolen Youth: How Radicals Are Erasing Innocence and Indoctrinating a Generation,'' has worked with Moms for Liberty; delivered speeches to its chapters; and befriended many of its members. She is going to the group’s summit, which begins later this month. “It is a group of passionate women who in no way resemble extremists or a hate group. The SPLC are beclowning themselves and exposing nothing but their own bias,” Mandel told JNS. “It’s unfortunate that the SPLC has made clear that Jewish families don’t have a reliable source for this kind of content,” she added. “They just have another left-wing group, which falsely uses antisemitism as a cudgel against its political enemies.” ‘Obvious anti-Jewish bias’ The Coalition for Jewish Values, which represents Orthodox rabbis, has stated that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Southern Poverty Law Center—both of which were listed as partnering organizations in the new White House national strategy on antisemitism—have demonstrated “obvious anti-Jewish bias.” Rabbi Yaakov Menken, managing director of the Coalition for Jewish Values, told JNS that the SPLC turns a blind eye against antisemitism perpetrated by radical Islamic groups, which he said have killed more people than far-right groups on the SPLC list combined. That includes four Israelis killed on June 20 in a terrorist attack in Samaria. “SPLC does not even list the Council on American-Islamic Relations on their hate map, despite its history of antisemitism,” Menken said. He said SPLC was demonizing an ally for Orthodox Jews in America by listing Moms for Liberty as a hate group. “By this standard, we would like to be recognized as a hate group, too,” he said. “Moms for Liberty supports parental rights at a time when New York is encroaching on yeshivah education,” said Menken. He predicted that the law center would list Orthodox Jewish families, which support gender-segregated synagogues and swimming hours, as hate groups as well. ‘Stop labeling concerned moms’ Former school-board members Tiffany Justice and Tina Descovich founded Moms for Liberty in January 2021. The nonprofit “is dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government,” says its site. The nonprofit has 120,000 members in 285 chapters across 45 states, per its Twitter handle. The law center should try to dismantle “groups that promote reprehensible ideas, like teaching children about sex and hijacking their education for the pleasure of adults,” Alison Centofante, a mother and longtime pro-life activist, told JNS. “They should also stop labeling concerned moms who value parental rights and their children’s innocence.” Centofante added that the SPLC designation is “reckless” and puts members of parental-rights groups in danger. A shooter used the SPLC “hate map” to find and target people at the Family Research Council in 2012, she noted. “SPLC’s labels have led to violence and they should be held accountable,” she said. Lyndsey Fifield, a mother and digital consultant who has worked at several Conservative organizations, told JNS that she knows the staff at SPLC, having lived in Alabama. “As a Christian with Jewish friends, it is scary to see this coming from people who claim to be fighting for racial and social justice,” she said. According to Fifield, SPLC uses its designations of hate groups as an intimidation tactic, to silence mainstream Conservative voices. She told JNS that “it is chilling to see how the SPLC is weaponizing their hate map against what was considered mainstream only 10 years ago.”</small></blockquote></ref>}}
===Family Research Council shooting===
In the wake of an August 2012 shooting at the headquarters of the [[Family Research Council]], some columnists criticized the SPLC's listing of the Family Research Council as an "anti-gay hate group". Dana Milbank, of the Washington Post, wrote that the SPLC was "reckless in labeling as a “hate group” a policy shop that advocates for a full range of conservative Christian positions." <ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/dana-milbank-hateful-speech-on-hate-groups/2012/08/16/70a60ac6-e7e8-11el-8487-64e4b2a79ba8_story.html</ref><ref>[http://huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/22dana-milbank-washington-post-family-research-council-hate-group_n_1822805.html Dana Milbank, Washington Post Writer, Slams LGBT Activists, SPLC For FRC's 'Hate Group' Label]</ref> Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said, after the attack, “I believe [the gunman Floyd Corkins] was given a license to do that by a group such as the Southern Poverty Law Center who labeled us a hate group because we defend the family and stand for traditional orthodox Christianity.”<ref>FRC's Perkins: Southern Poverty Law Center Gave Gunman 'License to Shoot', https://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/perkins-shooting-family-research/2012/08/16/id/448862?s=al</ref> Capital Research Center states that the SPLC "deliberately mischaracterizes conservatives and tea partiers as “extremists”."<ref>Southern Poverty Law Center: Wellspring of Manufactured Hate, http://www.capitalresearch.org/2012/09/southern-poverty-law-center-wellspring-of-manufactured-hate/</ref>
In July 2021, [[Google]] scrubbed from its search engine results<ref>https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2021/07/09/google-scrubs-mike-cernovich-report-on-splc-link-to-mass-shooter-from-search-results/</ref> [[Mike Cernovich]]'s ''How a Convicted Terrorist used the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Website to Identify Targets]]''.<ref>https://www.cernovich.com/splc-floyd-lee-corkins-family-research-council-shooting/</ref>
===Proud Boys controversy===
==''Into the Mainstream'' controversy==
In the summer of 2003, the SPLC's ''Intelligence Journal'' carried a feature article entitled "Into the Mainstream", by [[Chip Berlet]]. The cover of the journal had an image of [[Adolf Hitler]] in front of the [[American flag]] and the caption, "Marching toward the Mainstream: the radical Right invades American culture". The implication was that such conservative activists as [[David Horowitz]] and his [[Center for the Study of Popular Culture]], as well as other groups including the [[libertarian]] Ludwig von Mises Institute, were "radical right" and Hitlerian.<ref>Kantor, Myles. "Morris Dees' Defamation". ''FrontPage magazine'', September 25, 2003. [http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=52878574-A7B7-4885-A6F9-58C15841D70C]<small>The Southern Poverty Law Center, and Morris Dees himself, have engaged in a dispute with conservative intellectual and activist David Horowitz over material related to Horowitz's campaign against slavery reparations, which the SPLC claims constitutes "hate speech". Horowitz writes [https://www.frontpagemag.com/articles/Readarticle.asp?ID=9830]:<blockquote>The effect is to multiply the number of racial hate groups, to scare well-meaning citizens into the belief that mainstream civil rights organizations like the Center for the Study of Popular Culture are really fever swamps of hate that deserve to be lumped alongside the Ku Klux Klan. The purpose of this fear-mongering is transparent. It is to fill the already wealthy coffers of your organization by exploiting unsuspecting donors into helping you promote leftwing agendas under the guise of civil rights.</blockquote></small></ref> This smear was denounced by David Horowitz, who demanded an apology, although none was forthcoming.
==SPLC as film critic==