WASHINGTON, DC — The League of Women Voters issued the following statement in response to the Department of Justice’s indictment of the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC): 

“The Department of Justice’s indictment is a declaration of war on the civil rights movement. This is a malicious attempt to criminalize advocacy and clear the path for absolute power. By targeting the SPLC, this administration is declaring that anyone who confronts hate and discrimination does so at their own peril.

“This is a total inversion of justice. While this administration pardons insurrectionists, it weaponizes the federal government against an organization that has fought the Klan and Christian nationalism for over 50 years. They are rewriting history to make civil rights work itself look like a crime. 

“We are not fooled. This is about dismantling the protections that allow marginalized communities to exist. When you attack the organizations working to end unjust imprisonment and fighting against discrimination, you attack the heartbeat of American democracy. 

“The administration’s strategy is simple: intimidation. The League of Women Voters and our partners across the movement will not be intimidated. An attack on one is an attack on all Americans.”

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