Moms group labeled ‘extremist’ flips script on SPLC after federal indictment: 'Shut it down'
The leader of a parental rights group that the Southern Poverty Law Center labeled an "extremist" organization is calling for the group to be "shut down" as it faces federal charges.
The Justice Department indicted the Southern Poverty Law Center on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit concealment and money laundering, stemming from allegations that the civil rights organization funneled $3 million in donations to people linked to various violent extremist groups, including Unite the Right, the Ku Klux Klan and the Aryan Nations. These same extremist groups have been targeted by the Southern Poverty Law Center through its litigation and advocacy efforts for years.
Moms for America founder Kimberly Fletcher accused the Southern Poverty Law Center of being a "hate group against America, families, freedom, and God."
"They're not going to stop what they're doing," Fletcher said. "They're going to continue funneling money into organizations that are extremist hate groups, and they're going to continue to target organizations like ours, moms who just want to make sure that our kids are protected, our freedoms are defended, and we restore the republic."
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In its "Year in Hate and Extremism 2022" report, the Southern Poverty Law Center identified Moms for America as an "anti-government extremist" group, alleging that it is an "anti-student inclusion" group and that its measures have "contributed to a volatile climate" for teachers, faculty and school board members.
"I find it ironic that the Southern Poverty Law Center turns out to be the extremist group, which we've always known, but now that they're finally being exposed because the DOJ has investigated them and found them to be funneling money into all the extremist organizations that they're supposed to be protecting us against," Moms for America President and founder Kimberly Fletcher said in an interview with Fox News Digital.
"Putting moms in the same category as the Ku Klux Klan or these violent protesters, rioters, it absolutely is not compatible."
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Moms for America, which consists of roughly 500,000 mothers across the country, advocates for restoring "truth, family, freedom and the Constitution" in schools and American culture, and opposes critical race theory and LGBT ideology in public school curricula.
Fletcher said that the SPLC’s "extremist" label has disrupted the group’s operations, claiming that tech companies cut off services and that the organization faced threats and harassment, prompting dozens of the organization's leadership to step down.
"We have been continuously targeted in threats of violence," Fletcher told Fox News Digital. "I've had emails sent to me saying, 'I know where your kids live, I know who your grandkids are. And mostly it's just trying to scare us, but there have been times where I've gone face to face with the belly of the beast and people have been right in my face and physically pushing on me."
Despite threats and alleged shadowbanning by social media companies, Fletcher said the extremist label from the SPLC is "almost like a badge of honor."
"You're standing up for the right principles and values and so they're gonna label you as an extremist," and so we'll just keep doing what we're doing."
To celebrate America's 250th birthday, Fletcher said Moms for America is hosting a traveling festival in all 50 states geared toward families and children.
Fletcher said the key to countering the Southern Poverty Law Center and other leftist organizations' attacks is to reach young people and unite families.
"We are shining a light on all that's good in America so that the darkness will be exposed for what it is because people gravitate to the lake," Fletcher said.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Southern Poverty Law Center for comment.