Left-Wing Terrorism Is on the Rise

[JosephZ]

2025 marks the first time in more than 30 years that left-wing attacks outnumber those from the far right.

The year 2016 was a turning point for left-wing terrorism, even as right-wing incidents remained much more common. Trump’s political ascent and the expansion of the MAGA movement seem to have reenergized left-wing violent extremism, which accounted for 37 incidents from 2016 to 2024, most of them motivated by either anti-government or partisan sentiment. By July 4 of this year, far-left extremists had already been responsible for five terrorist attacks and plots...

A major shift in politics ... can cause the losing side to become more combative. Just as Trump’s election led to a rise in left-wing violence, President Barack Obama’s election corresponded with a surge of violence from the right.

This year ... violence on the right has plummeted. Only one right-wing-terrorist incident occurred in the first six months of 2025: the June assassination of the Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband. This extraordinary drop-off is too recent to allow for any definitive explanations—and the number of terror incidents often fluctuates over short periods—but Trump’s reelection could be a key factor. His victory deflated election conspiracies that had once motivated many extremists.

Under Trump, right-wing extremists may feel less need to mobilize, because they sense that their interests are already being taken care of.

Exaggerated rhetoric across party lines helps explain why both Republicans and Democrats believe that more than 40 percent of the other side supports murder if it serves their political interests. In reality, less than 4 percent of Americans support partisan violence such as assault or arson, let alone murder.

 

[Chesterton]

Under Trump, right-wing extremists may feel less need to mobilize, because they sense that their interests are already being taken care of.

Well it's nice the Atlantic has given Trump credit for something positive.

Anyone who does a deep dive into the facts knows the statistics are bogus. A white man comes home and finds his wife in bed with a black man. He assaults the black man and that's categorized as "white on black crime" (as if he'd found her in bed with a white man he'd have offered him a cordial greeting). A white man assaults a homeowner while burglarizing a home. Investigation reveals the burglar once visited a white supremacist website. That's categorized as right-wing violence. And black and hispanic violent criminals who could possibly pass for being white are categorized as white. It's very skewed.

 

[JosephZ]

Anyone who does a deep dive into the facts knows the statistics are bogus. A white man comes home and finds his wife in bed with a black man. He assaults the black man and that's categorized as "white on black crime" (as if he'd found her in bed with a white man he'd have offered him a cordial greeting). A white man assaults a homeowner while burglarizing a home. Investigation reveals the burglar once visited a white supremacist website. That's categorized as right-wing violence. And black and hispanic violent criminals who could possibly pass for being white are categorized as white. It's very skewed.

Is there a specific study you can link to that includes examples like the ones you mentioned? If so, do you think it would change the outcome of the study's findings if those examples were excluded?

 

[Chesterton]

Is there a specific study you can link to that includes examples like the ones you mentioned? If so, do you think it would change the outcome of the study's findings if those examples were excluded?

I could but I don't remember and don't want to take the time to look it up. It was the subject of a CF thread years ago.

 

[FireDragon76]

. This extraordinary drop-off is too recent to allow for any definitive explanations—and the number of terror incidents often fluctuates over short periods—but Trump’s reelection could be a key factor. His victory deflated election conspiracies that had once motivated many extremists.

Let's focus on this part. They are working with a relatively small window of time, with a relatively limited dataset, to support their implied claims.

 

[Pommer]

2025 marks the first time in more than 30 years that left-wing attacks outnumber those from the far right.

The year 2016 was a turning point for left-wing terrorism, even as right-wing incidents remained much more common. Trump’s political ascent and the expansion of the MAGA movement seem to have reenergized left-wing violent extremism, which accounted for 37 incidents from 2016 to 2024, most of them motivated by either anti-government or partisan sentiment. By July 4 of this year, far-left extremists had already been responsible for five terrorist attacks and plots...

A major shift in politics ... can cause the losing side to become more combative. Just as Trump’s election led to a rise in left-wing violence, President Barack Obama’s election corresponded with a surge of violence from the right.

This year ... violence on the right has plummeted. Only one right-wing-terrorist incident occurred in the first six months of 2025: the June assassination of the Minnesota state legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband. This extraordinary drop-off is too recent to allow for any definitive explanations—and the number of terror incidents often fluctuates over short periods—but Trump’s reelection could be a key factor. His victory deflated election conspiracies that had once motivated many extremists.

Under Trump, right-wing extremists may feel less need to mobilize, because they sense that their interests are already being taken care of.

Exaggerated rhetoric across party lines helps explain why both Republicans and Democrats believe that more than 40 percent of the other side supports murder if it serves their political interests. In reality, less than 4 percent of Americans support partisan violence such as assault or arson, let alone murder.

Oh goodie, the reactionary party is going to have to “do something” about “political violence” now!?

What joy!

 

[Pommer]

Let's focus on this part. They are working with a relatively small window of time, with a relatively limited dataset, to support their implied claims.

The whole left-right spectrum is old-hat: authoritarians and libertarians, now.

(One may wake up with strange bedfellows!)
Enjoy.

 

[FireDragon76]

The whole left-right spectrum is old-hat: authoritarians and libertarians, now.

(One may wake up with strange bedfellows!)
Enjoy.

Politics is multidimensional, more than a binary, IMO.

 

[Fantine]

Things are also skewed when the DOJ greatly expands the definition of "terrorism" and targets the innocent.

This might occur, for example, when a 60.year-old Hispanic housekeeper who came to.the US while pregnant with her first child and stayed under the radar for 30 years is characterized as a criminal.

 

[Say it aint so]

""These tend to be more lethal than left-wing attacks, which generally target specific individuals, such as the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year or the assassination attempt on Trump at his West Palm Beach golf course."'​

That is from the article. What makes Luigi Mangione’s attack on a healthcare CEO where within his diary he makes it clear he was motivated by first hand frustration with the healthcare industry itself? Left wing or right wing means to me holding some kind of left or right wing ideology as a motivating action. Being frustrated with insurance companies crosses all political ideology spectrum. The Palm Beach shooter? He was motivated by his own insanity.

The article is pretty bad,

 

[DaisyDay]

Politics is multidimensional, more than a binary, IMO.

Which increases the likelihood of having a strange bedfellow or two....

 

[Larniavc]

Well it's nice the Atlantic has given Trump credit for something positive.

Anyone who does a deep dive into the facts knows the statistics are bogus. A white man comes home and finds his wife in bed with a black man. He assaults the black man and that's categorized as "white on black crime" (as if he'd found her in bed with a white man he'd have offered him a cordial greeting). A white man assaults a homeowner while burglarizing a home. Investigation reveals the burglar once visited a white supremacist website. That's categorized as right-wing violence. And black and hispanic violent criminals who could possibly pass for being white are categorized as white. It's very skewed.

When did that happen?

 

[JosephZ]

That is from the article. What makes Luigi Mangione’s attack on a healthcare CEO where within his diary he makes it clear he was motivated by first hand frustration with the healthcare industry itself? Left wing or right wing means to me holding some kind of left or right wing ideology as a motivating action. Being frustrated with insurance companies crosses all political ideology spectrum. The Palm Beach shooter? He was motivated by his own insanity.

The study discussed in the article hasn't been released yet, so it will be interesting to read the methodology used and why they labeled Mangione as a left-wing extremist. My guess would be that they classified him as left-wing anti-establishment due to his position on the US healthcare system. In my opinion, his was a case of single-issue extremism rather than left and should be classified as such.

 

[Say it aint so]

The study discussed in the article hasn't been released yet, so it will be interesting to read the methodology used and why they labeled Mangione as a left-wing extremist. My guess would be that they classified him as left-wing anti-establishment due to his position on the US healthcare system. In my opinion, his was a case of single-issue extremism rather than left and should be classified as such.

Yes, it would be interested how they flushed that out. The way I see it; the frustration of people paying good money for insurance and then have their claims constantly "Artificial Intel auto denied" is not left-wing. That frustration is everyone's position no matter who. Yes, he acted on it, but does that mean he's "left wing".

I think this is no more left wing or right wing than the guy who flew his plane into an IRS building acting out the same kind of frustrations a whole lot of people have with the IRS.

 

[JosephZ]

Let's focus on this part. They are working with a relatively small window of time, with a relatively limited dataset, to support their implied claims.

Yes, it's too early to tell if this is a trend or just a blip at this point. Unfortunately, I think it may be the beginning of a trend as the current administration's policies that undermine the rule of law and weaken human rights affect such a large segment of the population. This will likely lead to more political violence from those directly affected by these policies and those who sympathize with them going forward.

 

[Chesterton]

When did that happen?

Year after year.

 

[Larniavc]

Year after year.

So you made it up?

 

[Chesterton]

So you made it up?

No. No need to. There are other examples. They also include incels as "right wing extremists".

 

[JosephZ]

They also include incels as "right wing extremists".

The primary reason incels are categorized as right-wing extremists is because of their association with male supremacy, misogyny, and anti-feminism.

 

[Chesterton]

The primary reason incels are categorized as right-wing extremists is because of their association with male supremacy, misogyny, and anti-feminism.

But I guess that would have made the Black Panther Party right-wing.