SPLC: Extremist Mobilization Continues Two Years After Jan. 6 Attack, Requires All of Us to Act

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) President and CEO Margaret Huang issued the following statement on the second anniversary of the deadly Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol: 

“Two years ago, far-right insurrectionists attacked the Capitol, paraded symbols of hate through its halls and violently assaulted public servants. The horror of that day continues to live with us — and so too does the danger to our democracy. Extremist groups are growing in number and power, particularly at the community level, and they’re raising money for what comes next. We know that Jan. 6 was never meant to be their end goal. That’s why the SPLC remains focused on combating the dangers posed by extremists and their enablers and working across communities to build a multiracial, inclusive democracy.   

“The work of the bipartisan House Jan. 6 Select Committee and the accompanying criminal referrals were essential steps toward transparency and accountability. Now, to turn the page on Jan. 6 and heal the nation’s deep wounds, we must unite to reject hate and extremism and push white supremacy out of the mainstream. We must protect voting rights and the integrity of the electoral process. And we must adopt preventive approaches to counter radicalization instead of waiting to act after further harm is done. All people deserve to live free from hate. This work requires building resilience, learning across communities and strengthening democracy to achieve justice for all.” 

EDITOR’S NOTE:  

Today, the SPLC published a deep dive into the findings and recommendations of the Select Committee, including the SPLC’s legislative and advocacy priorities to apply the lessons learned from the Capitol insurrection and protect democracy. Previously, the SPLC released a timeline, “The Road to Jan. 6: A Year of Extremist Mobilization,” tracking the events that led to the insurrection, as well as a one-year analysis, “One Year After Jan. 6, the Hard Right Digs In,” that exposes how the hard-right faction sought to undermine our democracy through white supremacist rhetoric and a flurry of anti-voter bills that disproportionately impact Black, Brown, Indigenous and LGBTQ+ people. A special episode of the SPLC’s podcast, Sounds Like Hate, also travels back to the months leading up to the insurrection.