USA Today reports:

The Southern Poverty Law Center is for the first time labeling Florida-headquartered Moms for Liberty and 11 other right-wing “parents’ rights” groups as extremist groups in its annual report, released Tuesday. Moms for Liberty and the other organizations are being designated as “anti-government extremist groups,” based on longstanding criteria, explained SPLC Intelligence Project Director Susan Corke.

Corke said the grassroots conservative groups are part of a new front in the battle against inclusivity in schools, though they are drawing from ideas rooted in age-old white supremacy. The Florida-headquartered Moms for Liberty has hit the headlines across the country since its founding in 2021. The SPLC study concludes the group is part of a broader anti-government movement focused on local politics that sprung up during the Coronavirus pandemic.

ABC News reports:

The SPLC says Moms for Liberty was given the designation due to what they believe are goals to “fuel right-wing hysteria and to make the world a less comfortable or safe place for certain students.”

The SPLC says Moms for Liberty’s campaign to remove books from school libraries is “hate-filled” and has caused many librarians to leave their jobs. According to the SPLC’s report, the group has also made appearances at multiple protests alongside the white nationalist Proud Boys organization in both Florida and Texas.

The organization also is currently fighting a lawsuit from Gavin McInnes, who founded the Proud Boys and who has argued the SPLC’s hate group designation harmed his career.