Actor and activist George Clooney has issued a $1 million check to the Southern Poverty Law Center to combat “extremism” in the U.S.
The Aug. 12 killing of Heather Heyer in Charlottesville, Virginia, following a protest by white supremacist groups sparked a national debate on political violence. Mr. Clooney and his wife, Amal, however, are backing words with financial resources — a $1 million grant issued through the couple’s Clooney Foundation for Justice to SPLC.
“We are proud to support the Southern Poverty Law Center in its efforts to prevent violent extremism in the United States,” the Clooney family said in a statement released Tuesday, THR reported. “What happened in Charlottesville, and what is happening in communities across our country, demands our collective engagement to stand up to hate.”
The Hollywood star also took a rhetorical jab at President Trump over his assertion that “alt-left” agitators wielding baseball bats at the Charlottesville protests were also culpable for the deadly chaos.
Heyer, 32, died after suspect James Alex Fields Jr., 20, plowed his vehicle into a crowd.
“Amal and I wanted to add our voice (and financial assistance) to the ongoing fight for equality,” Mr. Clooney said. “There are no two sides to bigotry and hate.”
SEE ALSO: Southern Poverty Law Center omits Trump-related ‘hate crimes’ against white children
SPLC, a liberal group dedicated to studying hate crimes, made headlines last week when a “hate map” it created of 917 organizations across the country was covered by CNN.
Conservative groups like the California-based Pacific Justice Institute were livid over the SPLC’s decision to categorize their work with the likes of Aryan Nation and the Pacific Coast Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
“Why is the Southern Poverty Law Center doing this?” asked PJI President Brad Dacus, The Washington Times reported Aug. 17. “It’s simple. They want to vilify and isolate anyone that doesn’t agree with their very extremist leftist policy and ideology. This isn’t about defending civil rights; this is about attacking civil rights.”
“I am shocked that CNN would publish such a false report on the heels of the Charlottesville tragedy,” added Mat Staver, Liberty Counsel’s founder and chairman. “To lump peaceful Christian organizations, which condemn violence and racism, in with the KKK, neo-Nazis and white supremacists is offensive. This is the epitome of fake news and is why people no longer trust the media.”
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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