The SPLC announces that Black Lives Matter is not a hate group

[uhnope]

FYI http://time.com/4413786/splc-black-lives-matter/

In recent weeks, we’ve received a number of requests to name Black Lives Matter a hate group, particularly in the wake of the murders of eight police officers in Dallas and Baton Rouge. Numerous conservative commentators have joined the chorus. There is even a Change.org petition calling for the hate group label.

In our view, these critics fundamentally misunderstand the nature of hate groups and the BLM movement.

Generally speaking, hate groups are, by our definition, those that vilify entire groups of people based on immutable characteristics such as race or ethnicity. Federal law takes a similar approach.

While it’s no surprise, given our country’s history, that most domestic hate groups hold white supremacist views, there are a number of black organizations on our hate group list as well.

A prime example is the New Black Panther Party (NBPP), whose leaders are known for anti-Semitic and anti-white tirades. Its late chairman, Khalid Abdul Muhammad, famously remarked: “There are no good crackers, and if you find one, kill him before he changes.” Bobby Seale, a founding member of the original Black Panther Party, has called the NBPP a “black racist hate group.”

We have heard nothing remotely comparable to the NBPP’s bigotry from the founders and most prominent leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement and nothing at all to suggest that the bulk of the demonstrators hold supremacist or black separatist views. Thousands of white people across America—indeed, people of all races—have marched in solidarity with African Americans during BLM marches, as is clear from the group’s website. The movement’s leaders also have condemned violence.

[Igel]

1. I think their "based on immutable characteristics" language is misplaced.

They list anti-Muslim hate groups. Religion is not an immutable trait. SPLC does itself a rather foolish bit of self-undermining in taking this language as part of their definition of a hate group.

That said, BLM doesn't rise to the status of a hate group because anti-blue isn't its underlying philosophy or goal. Some in the movement vilify an entire profession (which, like religion, is definitely mutable) and think of that vilification as applying to the individual level. That is, they take a group-level generalization and treat it as an individual-level fact. But far from most do.