By Tony Perkins, CP Op-Ed Contributor Wednesday, October 01, 2025Left-wing protesters, some affiliated with Antifa, seen on July 25, 2021, in New York City. | Stephanie Keith/Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump last week issued an executive order declaring Antifa a “domestic terrorist organization,” directing federal agencies to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle its illegal operations. The order came in the wake of recent violence — including the assassination of Charlie Kirk, where the shooter left bullet casings engraved with Antifa-themed messages.Experts note that Antifa is not a single, structured organization but a terrorist-style network. Having worked in anti-terrorism, I know most of their operations and communications are hidden underground. But they are often aided by above-ground institutions that give cover, resources, or legitimacy to the network. That is why any serious federal investigation must also examine connections — direct or indirect — between Antifa cells and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Once a storied civil rights group, the SPLC has become a spotter and targeteer for the Left. And in federal court, its role has already been linked to domestic terrorism.The pattern is chilling. In 2010, the SPLC put my organization, Family Research Council, on its “hate map.” Two years later, homosexual activist Floyd Corkins entered our headquarters with 100 rounds of ammunition, intending to kill as many as possible. He critically wounded our building manager, who still managed to subdue and disarm him. Corkins confessed to federal investigators that he chose FRC because of the SPLC’s map.In 2014, the SPLC began targeting Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise in its “Hatewatch” publications, urging GOP leaders to strip him of leadership. In June 2017, Steve was shot and nearly killed by a leftist at the congressional baseball practice. And in 2024, the SPLC included Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA in its “Year in Hate & Extremism” report. Within months, Charlie was assassinated.Coincidence? I don’t think so. After the 2012 attack, appeals were made to SPLC to remove their online “hate map,” which listed the addresses of those they had smeared. They refused.And the damage goes far beyond serving as a roadmap for assassins. Democratic administrations have used SPLC propaganda to infiltrate churches and harass veterans. The media has amplified SPLC’s credibility to cancel and silence conservatives. And corporate America has blood on its hands. Apple, JPMorgan Chase, Starbucks, and Disney have funneled millions directly to SPLC, while Amazon, GuideStar, and PayPal have used its biased labels to deny services and block donor-directed funds from organizations standing against the Left’s agenda.The conclusion is unavoidable: SPLC’s fingerprints are all over the culture of targeting that fuels political violence. If the Trump administration is serious about dismantling Antifa, it must also expose and confront the SPLC’s role — and the corporations underwriting it.The stakes are life and death. Unless we stop this toxic alliance, more Americans will be targeted for destruction by tortured souls inspired by the SPLC’s demonic work.Tony Perkins is president of Family Research Council and executive editor of The Washington Stand.
We can’t fight Antifa without fighting the SPLC
