George and Amal Clooney donate $1m to anti-hate group: 'There are no two sides to bigotry and hate'

The Southern Poverty Law Center gets another donation from a prominent figure

George and Amal Clooney, seen here at the Cannes film festival in May 2016, have pledged $1 million to the Southern Poverty Law Center (REUTERS/Regis Duvignau)

George and Amal Clooney, will reportedly donate $1 million to an organisation that tracks hate groups.

In a statement to People, which reported the move, actor Clooney said helping to fund the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) dealt a blow in the "ongoing fight for equality."

“There are no two sides to bigotry and hate," Mr Clooney said.

Founded in 1971, the SPLC has seen its profile rise in recent months as the hate groups it tracks have increasingly flexed their muscles - most recently at a 'Unite the Right' rally in Charlottesville, Virginia that involved white supremacist groups and the KKK and spiralled into violence before a car rammed into counter-protesters.

Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and at least 19 others were injured when the driver rammed into the crowd. A man has been charged with second-degree murder and a number of other offences over the incident.

The SPLC has become a popular outlet for prominent figures hoping to combat bigotry. In a note to employees following the Charlottesville demonstration, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company would send $1 million to the Southern Poverty Law Center and pledged to match employee donations - joining with other Silicon Valley executives who rushed to condemn the violence and take countermeasures.

The SPLC keeps an active list of hundreds of designated hate groups, a category that encompasses the Ku Klux Klan and other white nationalist groups, black separatists and organizations that promote heavier restrictions on immigration.