Moms for Liberty, a conservative group advocating for parental rights, has received backlash for quoting German dictator and Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler in its newsletter.
The group, described by Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) as "anti-government," was founded in 2021 by two mothers who previously served on Florida school boards.
"Moms for Liberty and its nationwide chapters combat what they consider the 'woke indoctrination' of children by advocating for book bans in school libraries and endorsing candidates for public office that align with the group's views. They also use their multiple social media platforms to target teachers and school officials, advocate for the abolition of the Department of Education, advance a conspiracy propaganda, and spread hateful imagery and rhetoric against the LGBTQ community," SPLC said on its website.
The organization's chapter in Hamilton County, Indiana, released a newsletter called The Parent Brigade on Wednesday, which included a quote from Hitler on the front page that read, "He alone, who OWNS youth, GAINS the future." Hitler spoke those words in 1935 in an attempt to encourage young people to join the Hitler Youth, a Nazi organization.
Social media users condemned the group for using Hitler's quote. Moms for Liberty apologized on Thursday, according to The Indianapolis Star, and updated the front page of its newsletter to remove the quote.
"We condemn Adolf Hitler's actions and his dark place in human history," Paige Miller, chapter chairwoman, said in a statement on Facebook. "We should not have quoted him in our newsletter and express our deepest apology."
In the updated newsletter, the group explained the context in which Hitler's words were used, saying "the quote from a horrific leader should put parents on alert," according to the Star.
"If the government has control over our children today, they control our country's future. We The People must be vigilant and protect children from an overreaching government," read the update.
Still, social media users criticized the right-wing parent group, including Anna V. Eskamani, congresswoman in the Florida House of Representatives.
"Oh you know. Just an average day in America where a "Moms for Liberty" newsletter in Indiana quotes Hitler?? WTAF??" tweeted Eskamani.
"I mean ... on brand is on brand. Moms for Liberty's Hamilton County chapter quotes Hitler in newsletter," wrote Lincoln Project founder Rick Wilson.
Twitter user Alejandra Caraballo said, "a Moms for Liberty newsletter quotes Hitler. If you're still wondering why SPLC labeled them a hate group."
Technologist Jim Stewartson tweeted, "If anyone is still confused about Robert Kennedy Jr. he's speaking at the Moms for Liberty National Summit. In their first newsletter, Moms for Liberty describes their strategy by quoting Hitler: 'He alone who OWNS the youth, gains the future.' If it quacks like a Nazi ..."
Jemele Hill called Moms for Liberty a "white supremacist organization."
Newsweek has reached out via email to Moms for Liberty for comment.
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Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world ... Read more
