JCPA Statement on Indictment of SPLC

In response to the indictment today of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Jewish Council for Public Affairs CEO Amy Spitalnick issued the following statement:

“Civil society is under attack as the administration weaponizes the federal government against those with whom they disagree, while normalizing extremism and gutting the very programs we have to counter it — and it puts Jewish and so many other communities at risk of violence.

“As today’s attack on the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) shows, groups that protect civil rights and counter violent extremism are being criminalized by this Administration. None of us can afford to be silent.

“SPLC is a valued partner whose work has directly made our communities safer. I saw this firsthand leading the successful lawsuit against the neo-Nazis responsible for the violence in Charlottesville – which built on SPLC’s long legacy. SPLC’s work is even more essential now as this administration severely scales back or abandons the programs we rely on to stop violent white supremacists and other extremists.

“At a moment of rising antisemitism and broader extremism, the Administration should focus on how to protect our communities from these threats, not attack the very organizations and infrastructure whose work helps keep us safe in the first place.”