SPLC Lawyer Facing Charges of Domestic Terrorism

By John Friend

A staff attorney employed by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) was among the nearly two dozen far-left criminals arrested on charges relating to domestic terrorism by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation following a coordinated attack on construction equipment and law enforcement officers at the future site of the Atlanta Public Safety Training Center.

For months, radical Antifa-affiliated activists have protested at the property, which they refer to as “Cop City” and claim is an “autonomous zone,” resulting in numerous clashes with law enforcement. The planned $90 million facility will house one of the largest law enforcement training centers in the state, prompting Antifa and other far-left activists to squat on the property to prevent construction and protest organized policing more generally.

A 26-year-old activist was killed by Georgia State Police in January following a raid on campsites set up by the far-left radicals, which sparked nationwide violent and destructive Antifa protests. That raid resulted in multiple arrests, the removal of at least 25 campsites, and recovery of mortar style fireworks, multiple edged weapons, pellet rifles, gas masks, and a blow torch, according to law enforcement.

The raid, however, has not prevented the activists from continuing their protest and criminal activities. According to the Atlanta Police Department, on March 5 “a group of violent agitators used the cover of a peaceful protest of the proposed Atlanta Public Safety Training Center to conduct a coordinated attack on construction equipment and police officers.”

The far-left terrorists “changed into black clothing and entered the construction area and began to throw large rocks, bricks, Molotov cocktails, and fireworks at police officers,” the Atlanta Police Department explained in a press release.

“The agitators destroyed multiple pieces of construction equipment by fire and vandalism,” the statement noted. “Multiple law enforcement agencies deployed to the area and detained several people committing illegal activity.”

Video footage of the violent incident shows multiple black-clad activists, virtually all with masks to conceal their identity and some in military-style fatigues, attempting to sabotage and destroy construction equipment, including setting fires and throwing explosive devices. Powerful fireworks were lit and thrown at officers, as were rocks and other projectiles.

The violent terrorist attack resulted in 23 individuals being charged with domestic terrorism, including Thomas Jurgens, a 28-year-old staff attorney for the SPLC, one of the most partisan far-left activist outfits masquerading as a legitimate civil rights organization operating in America. Jurgens graduated from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2019 and, according to the SPLC, was at the violent protest as a “legal observer” on behalf of the National Lawyers Guild, yet another partisan organization that runs cover for radical Antifa and other far-left activists.

Jurgens and the others arrested on March 5 face state domestic terrorism charges. All but two of those arrested are from out of state, including an individual from France and one from Canada, disproving claims by the Biden administration, leading Democrats, and their allies in the mass media that Antifa is merely “an idea” rather than a well-coordinated and organized political movement that spans borders.

The SPLC has defended Jurgens, claiming he “was performing a public service, documenting potential violations of protesters’ rights” while attending and perhaps participating in the violent protest. Following his arrest, the SPLC doubled down on their far-left talking points, noting in a statement that they “will continue to urge de-escalation of violence and police use of force against black, brown and indigenous communities—working in partnership with these communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance the human rights of all people.”

Kyle Seraphin, a former FBI agent, noted that “legal observers” he dealt with in previous Antifa-affiliated protests in Portland and other cities were often “linked via radio to the Antifa mob and acting as countersurveillance and spotters for the Antifa security elements.”

“This ‘legal observer’ [Jurgens] faces charges for domestic terrorism, so I’m comfortable guessing the local cops saw through the veil,” Seraphin noted following Jurgens’ arrest.

The SPLC itself has long been accused by critics of working closely with Antifa and using information obtained by organized Antifa groups to dox and persecute their political enemies. As AFP goes to press, the SPLC has not responded to media inquiries regarding its ties to far-left organizations and individuals and its seemingly biased, highly partisan, and politically motivated reporting.

James Edwards, the nationally renowned radio host and political commentator, lambasted the SPLC following the arrest of Jurgens, pointing out that the group simply cannot be a trusted or reliable source of information.

“Last month, 20 state attorneys general co-signed a letter that was sent to the Department of Justice and the FBI asserting that the SPLC ‘has been utterly discredited as a reliable source,’” Edwards told this reporter. “That, coupled with the bombshell news that a staff attorney for the SPLC has just been arrested and charged with domestic terrorism, should forever shield well-meaning and law-abiding dissidents from the baseless smears of this nefarious organization.”