To: northam who wrote (1559614 ) 9/17/2025 6:22:13 PM From: Mongo2116 1 RecommendationRecommended By
Read Replies (1) | Respond to Recent studies from a range of academic and non-governmental organizations indicate that right-wing violence and threats of violence have been more frequent and deadlier than those from the left in the United States over the last several decades. In recent years, a small increase in left-wing violence has also been noted by some researchers. Frequency and deadliness of incidents A 2020 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) found that right-wing attacks and plots accounted for the majority of all terrorist incidents in the U.S. since 1994. The study noted a significant rise in right-wing attacks in the years leading up to the report's publication, with right-wing extremists committing two-thirds of all such attacks in 2019. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reports that 76% of extremist-related murders in the U.S. over the past decade were committed by those on the right. Data published by the Cato Institute in September 2025, when excluding the outlier of the 9/11 attacks, shows that right-wing terrorist attacks have caused 63% of deaths from political violence since 1975, compared to 10% from left-wing attacks. Academic and government research A 2022 study published by the National Institutes of Health and conducted by researchers at the University of Maryland compared the use of political violence by left-wing, right-wing, and Islamist extremists. The study's analysis found that acts associated with left-wing causes were significantly less likely to be violent when compared to right-wing acts. In September 2025, The Guardian reported that the U.S. Department of Justice had removed a 2024 study from its website that found far-right extremists had committed "far more" violence than far-left or Islamist extremists. The study's opening line cited that between 1990 and 2024, far-right extremists committed 227 ideologically motivated attacks, while far-left extremists committed 42. Potential factors and nuances The overall prevalence of politically motivated violence in the U.S. is low relative to other types of crime. Recent events have led to a focus on both left and right-wing extremism. A September 2025 NBC News report indicated that following the killing of a conservative activist, the Trump administration announced it would target far-left groups. Simultaneously, The Guardian reported on the removal of the Justice Department study emphasizing far-right violence. Some analysis suggests differences in target selection. One study found that while far-right extremists commit a higher frequency of incidents, far-left extremists are sometimes more likely to target law enforcement and have been involved in more multi-fatality incidents in some periods.
