Attendees at a briefing on anti-terrorism held earlier this week at Fort Liberty, (formerly Fort Bragg), were shocked to see a slide that listed prominent pro-life groups as terrorist organizations. After a slide relating to ISIS, the internationally recognized terrorist organization of Islamic extremist insurgents, domestic pro-life organizations National Right to Life Committee and Operation Rescue (NRLC) were listed as ‘terrorist groups.
The National Right to Life Committee is the largest and oldest anti-abortion group in the United States. It is a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization. A slide was shown that displayed a license plate with the slogan “IM4IT,” which is commonly used by prolife supporters. The image was shown in a context suggesting that merely advocating pro-life views should be equated to terrorism.
The presentation condemned First Amendment-protected activities, such as prolife advocacy and opposition against Roe v. Wade as well as “Truth Displays”, as terroristic threats. The briefing falsely linked past abortion clinic bombings with pro-life charities. This stoked fears and misconceptions regarding the activities of this organization.
By labeling these advocacy groups outright terrorists the military and Department of Defense sent an alarming message about civil liberties under the Biden Administration.
An anti-terrorism brief was held on Fort Liberty (Bragg) today where they listed several Pro-Life organizations as “terrorist organizations.”
The slide you see here followed right after a slide about ISIS, a terror group in the Middle East.
The organizations labeled by the… pic.twitter.com/vlO6XjyGzE
— Shoe (@samosaur) July 11, 2024
Fort Liberty officials say that after a photo of the slide appeared on social media, an inquiry by a commander was launched. In a Facebook statement, it was revealed that the slides had not been approved by the proper authorities and did not represent the views of the XVIII Airborne Corps or Fort Liberty. The slides were allegedly created by an employee of a local garrison to train soldiers at Fort Liberty access points. The statement also states that these slides, which were not authorized by the Department of Defense, will no longer used. Future training materials will be reviewed to ensure that they are compliant with the Department of Defense’s anti-terrorism guidelines.
Why weren’t these slides thoroughly checked before the presentation?
Fort Liberty’s Public Affairs Statement said:
***ATTENTION***
We were alerted to the fact that a slide promoting anti-terrorism was being circulated on social media.
We conducted a commander’s investigation and determined that the slides posted on social media had not been approved by the proper authorities and did not represent the views of the XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Liberty, or the U.S. Army.
The slides were created by an employee of a local garrison to train Soldiers who manned Fort Liberty’s access control points.
The slides are no longer being used and all future products for training will be reviewed to ensure that they are aligned with current DoD antiterrorism guidance.
Fort Liberty’s concerns should be greater than Americans who express anti-abortion views. Ramzan Daraev was killed in May 2024 while allegedly spying on a Special Forces Officer’s house near Fort Liberty.
Initial reports indicated that Daraev worked as a contractor for Utilities One. This company is involved in engineering projects. Daraev was not wearing the proper utility gear or identification, he was located far away from public access and he repeatedly took photos near a soldier’s house. His death has raised suspicions about criminal activity and espionage.
The shooting of an unidentified foreigner in May was not the only incident that has raised eyebrows recently. Multiple power substations in Moore County (near Fort Liberty) were vandalized on purpose in December 2022. The criminal act of vandalism caused widespread power outages that affected over 40,000 people. There have not been any arrests made or suspects named about the attack on the power grid.
Fort Liberty should be more concerned with national security against potential threats to its infrastructure and personnel than what Americans’ constitutionally protected views on abortion might be.
