Jane’s Revenge was the name given for a group in a “communique” that takes responsibility for a Molotov-cocktail, arson attack on Wisconsin Family Action, a Madison non-profit that opposes abortion.
“If abortions aren’t safe, then you aren’t either,” the attackers scrawled on the wall, according to Wisconsin Family Action.
“If the intention of the attack was to scare us, the assailants have failed. In fact, this attack only hardens our resolve to keep going and push back. We are standing for freedom and for life, and we will not give in. We will not back down,” Wisconsin Family Action wrote on its Facebook page on May 10, 2022.
The story about Jane’s Revenge was first reported by Madison.com after the Twitter page Antifa Watch revealed that a letter in the name Jane’s Revenge was sent to Bellingcat journalist Robert Evans.
Madison.com wrote that it “could not independently verify the statement or the existence of an actual group named Jane’s Revenge.”
The Madison Police Department wrote in a Facebook statement that it is “aware of a group claiming responsibility for the arson at Wisconsin Family Action. We are working with our federal partners to determine the veracity of that claim. We take all information and tips related to this case seriously and are working to vet each and every one. We encourage anyone with information about this arson to contact Madison Area Crime Stoppers at 608-266-6014.”
The U.S. Supreme Court leak of the draft Roe v. Wade opinion has caused tension over the abortion issue.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Letter Says ‘We Demand the Disbanding of All Anti-Choice Establishments’ Within 30 Days
The Twitter page Antifa Watch wrote, “A claim of responsibility for the #Madison molotov attack was shared by a group calling themselves ‘Jane’s Revenge.’ It was shared via a trusted intermediary linking a Tor hidden service to left wing Bellingcat journo Robert Evans.”
Bellingcat is an investigative website.
The letter is titled “First Communique.” It reads,
This is not a declaration of war. War has been upon us for decades. A war which we did not want, and did not provoke. Too long have we been attacked for asking for basic medical care. Too long have we been shot, bombed, and forced into childbirth without consent.
This was only a warning. We demand the disbanding of all anti-choice establishments, fake clinics, and violent anti-choice groups within the next thirty days. This is not a mere ‘difference of opinion’ as some have framed it. We are literally fighting for our lives. We will not sit still while we are killed and forced into servitude. We have run thin on patience and mercy for those who seek to strip us of what little autonomy we have left. As you continue to bomb clinics and assassinate doctors with impunity, so too shall we adopt increasingly extreme tactics to maintain freedom over our bodies.
We are forced to adopt a minimum military requirement for a political struggle. Again, this was only a warning. Next time the infrastructure of the enslavers will not survive. Medical imperialism will not face a passive enemy. Wisconsin is the first flashpoint, but we are all over the U.S, and we will issue no further warnings.
And we will not stop, we will not back down, nor will we hesitate to strike, until the inalienable right to manage our own health is returned to us.
We are not one group, but many. We are in your city. We are in every city. Your repression only strengthens our accomplice-ship and resolve.
Antifa Watch noted, “Typically claims of responsibility for anarchist violence/vandalism are done through a number of ‘counterinfo’ style blogs (abolition media, rosecitycounterinfo, indybay, etc) so this is somewhat unusual. There’s been a bit of infighting among leftists claiming it’s real or not.”
Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said in a news conference that there is “no room for hate and violence in Madison. There is no room for hate or violence anywhere in our country.”
He said the non-profit group was targeted because of their beliefs on abortion with an arson.
Shortly after 6 a.m. on May 8, a passerby noticed flames coming from the Wisconsin Family Action office. Officers were there moments before the Fire Department. They saw smoke and noticed a window was breached. A Molotov cocktail was found inside the office, he said, adding that overall two Molotov cocktails were found.
He said the forensic process takes time.
Wisconsin Family Action Says Two Molotov Cocktails Were Thrown Into Its Office, Among Other Damage
“Early this morning a leftist anarchist group attacked Wisconsin Family Action’s office in Madison, throwing two Molotov cocktails into the office, after breaking windows, and then proceeded to light a fire. The arsonists posted graffiti on the outside of the building near the group’s offices. The message was, ‘If abortions aren’t safe, then you aren’t either,’” Wisconsin Family Action wrote in a previous news release.
Anarchy 1312 took responsibility for the attack, leaving its logo on an outside wall, Wisconsin Family Action wrote in a press release.
Julaine Appling, president of Wisconsin Family Action, issued the following statement:
While this attack was directly provoked by the leaked draft opinion from the US Supreme Court in the Dobbs case earlier this week, this has far broader implication. Apparently, the tolerance that the left demands is truly a one-way street. Violence has become their answer to everything. This is what happens when leadership is missing or when leadership implies that violence is ok. In 2020, Governor Tony Evers basically looked the other way when violence erupted in Kenosha and Madison. That kind of non-response fosters what happened to us this morning, leaving Wisconsin citizens who disagree with his policies extremely vulnerable to similar violence.
Appling added:
But this attack fails to frighten us, and instead steels the resolve of law-abiding, common-sense, every-day folks to stand up and push back. We know today it is Wisconsin Family Action getting Molotov cocktails tossed through broken windows and fires ignited, but tomorrow it could be anyone in our state or another state who is attacked because we disagree with a policy or action, give voice to the voiceless, or stand up for what’s right. Americans see through the hypocrisy of the left. The violence needs to stop and stop now. It’s not the answer to any question or any problem. Just because the liberals don’t get their way, doesn’t give them license to threaten bodily harm or to burn and destroy.
She said:
Wisconsin has had enough of this kind of terror condoned by current state and national leaders. But we are still standing. We still support freedom. We love our republic and care for our neighbors. We will repair our offices, remain on the job, and build an even stronger grassroots effort. We will not back down. We will not stop doing what we are doing. Too much is at stake.
The Governor & His Challengers Weighed In
We condemn violence and hatred in all forms, including the actions at Wisconsin Family Action in Madison last night. We reject violence against any person for disagreeing with another’s view.
Violence is not the way forward. Hurting others is never the answer.
Governor Tony Evers tweeted on May 8, 2022, “We condemn violence and hatred in all forms, including the actions at Wisconsin Family Action in Madison last night. We reject violence against any person for disagreeing with another’s view. Violence is not the way forward. Hurting others is never the answer.”
He added, “We will work against overturning Roe and attacks on reproductive rights by leading with empathy and compassion. We will defend what we believe in with our words and our voices—in the streets, in halls of government, and at the ballot box. In Wisconsin, we must lead by example.”
One of the Republicans vying for the chance to square off against Evers in the general election, former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, tweeted, “The Evers Administration’s typical weak statements and absent leadership won’t be enough to protect pro-life groups from these violent threats. I stand with Wisconsinites who defend the right to life and will fight for law and order.”
She added: “This is terrorism. Tony Evers and Josh Kaul need to immediately take action to protect these pro-life groups from more violence.”
Another Republican candidate, Tim Michels, tweeted, “The attack on Wisconsin Family Action has no place in our Democracy. Dane County leaders, @GovEvers, and @WisDOJ must immediately issue unequivocal statements that this will not be tolerated, and offenders will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
Former U.S. Marine Kevin Nicholson, another GOP candidate, tweeted, “The attack on @WIFamilyAction is disgusting and the perpetrators must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. @JoeBiden, @GovEvers and @JoshKaulWI are each responsible for the degradation of law and order that has led us to this point. The violence must stop.”
READ NEXT: Learn About Naomi Judd’s Husband, Larry Strickland.