{"id":270031,"date":"2022-06-17T12:39:26","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T17:39:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=270031"},"modified":"2022-07-01T14:20:26","modified_gmt":"2022-07-01T19:20:26","slug":"janes-revenge-violence-pro-lifers-terrorism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/janes-revenge-violence-pro-lifers-terrorism\/","title":{"rendered":"Expert: Jane’s Revenge violence against pro-lifers should be ‘viewed through the lens of terrorism’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Violent acts claimed by Jane’s Revenge and other pro-abortion extremists \u2014\u00a0including at least four arsons aimed at pro-life centers \u2014\u00a0should be \u201cviewed through the lens of terrorism,\u201d\u00a0says\u00a0Kyle Shideler<\/a>, Director and Senior Analyst for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism at the\u00a0Center for Security Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shideler questions whether the federal government is taking the threats seriously enough \u2014 or whether they view violent groups like Jane\u2019s Revenge<\/a>\u00a0as ‘lone wolves’ for local law enforcement to handle. [Update, 6\/27\/22: Jane’s Revenge’s latest communique threatens to hunt pro-lifers down in their homes.\u00a0\u201cSo far its just been pregnancy crisis centers, but tomorrow it might be your cars, your homes, or even your lives,” the group threatened.]<\/p>\n

\"Image:

Jane’s Revenge spray painted on pro-life pregnancy center<\/p><\/div>\n

Jane\u2019s Revenge<\/a> has already\u00a0claimed responsibility<\/a> for the arson and violence at some pro-life centers across the country. The group is named after the “Jane Collective<\/a>,” an underground group out of Chicago, Illinois, from the 1960s which provided or referred for illegal abortions.\u00a0It is not clear whether this is one group, multiple groups, or individuals using the same insignia. What we do know is that \u201cJane\u2019s Revenge\u201d tends to speak through intermediaries \u2014 mostly\u00a0anarchists<\/a> groups so far \u2014 to promote their messages.<\/p>\n

Defining terrorism<\/strong><\/p>\n

In an interview with “EWTN World Over<\/a>,” Shideler explained that terrorism has two purposes.\u00a0“One, to intimidate an arm of the government \u2014 that is to say, the Supreme Court \u2014 and prevent it from making a rule on the Dobbs case that would be seen as favorable to the pro-life position,” Shideler said. “And then, two, to intimidate the public, members of the pro-life movement. And, to disrupt their ability to organize at the state and local level.”<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, these attackers are making the statement that they will escalate violence if the government does not do what they wish. And that is terrorism by definition,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n

\"Jane's

Jane’s Revenge pro-abortion vandalism on pro-life pregnancy center<\/p><\/div>\n

Is the federal government hesitant to see pro-abortion violence as domestic terrorism?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In May, Wisconsin Family Action became the first\u00a0victim<\/a> of an\u00a0arson attack<\/a> by Jane\u2019s Revenge<\/a>, who took credit for firebombing the facility. Last month, a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the offices of\u00a0Oregon Right to Life<\/a>.\u00a0On June 6, perpetrators spray painted the message \u201cJane was here\u201d when they firebombed\u00a0CompassCare Pregnancy Services<\/a> in Buffalo, New York. Then, on June 11,\u00a0a pro-life pregnancy center in the area of Gresham, Oregon, was also firebombed<\/a>\u00a0but no messages were left behind.<\/p>\n

The words \u201cJane\u2019s Revenge\u201d have been\u00a0tagged<\/a> by the group or its copycats in various states. Multiple supporters of the anonymous group have parroted the threats, with some\u00a0posting<\/a>\u00a0on Twitter a daily countdown to the group’s June 10 deadline to escalate its attacks.<\/p>\n

Shideler described Jane\u2019s Revenge as a \u201cpro-abortion militant anarchist group\u201d but went on to say that \u201cthe way anarchists are organized they organize in local cells.\u201d He claimed that these groups probably \u201cvoluntarily identified themselves as Jane\u2019s Revenge,\u201d going on to say that \u201cIt is unlikely there is a hierarchy or that they receive orders, although they may communicate from cell to cell.\u201d\u00a0He also said that one of the problems in responding is that the federal government \u201cdoes not treat anarchist’s organizations as genuine criminal conspiracies. They treat them as a bunch of loony individuals operating separately.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, Shideler claimed, \u201cAlthough they [Jane’s Revenge] are cellular in structure, they are very organized. They need to be treated as an organization.” The concern, he said, is that these groups will elevate from attacks on structures to attacks and violence on individuals.<\/p>\n

Last week, the Department of Homeland Security issued<\/a>\u00a0a new alert warning of potential violence but failed to mention specific terroristic threats published by Jane\u2019s Revenge<\/a>, whose June 10 deadline to escalate violence against pro-life groups just passed.<\/p>\n