Terrorist attacks motivated by left-wing ideology are on the rise and have surpassed far-right violence for the first time in three decades, a recent study discovered.
The Center for Strategic & International Studies’ (CSIS) research found that in the first half of 2025, five left-wing attacks occurred, compared with one right-wing attack. Between 2016 and 2024, an average of four left-wing attacks occurred in the U.S. every year, up from an average of 1.3 a year between 2000 and 2010.
According to Axios, “Far-right violence has historically been more frequent and more lethal, but plunged dramatically over the first six months of 2025.” The study found that since 2016, 152 attacks classified as right-wing have occurred, compared with 41 labeled as left-wing.
CSIS’ study brief reported that the rise in left-wing violence is “driven by plots and attacks directed at government and law enforcement targets.”
“Of the 41 left-wing incidents since 2016, anti-government extremism motivated 17 of them, and partisan extremism motivated another 11,” CSIS noted. “All left-wing attacks through July 4, 2025, appeared to be motivated by one of these ideologies, and the Kirk killing fits this pattern, although details about Kirk’s alleged killer are still emerging.”
CSIS also reported that the decline in right-wing attacks has several possible explanations. The center hypothesized that “aggressive law enforcement” during former President Joe Biden’s term or decentralization of right-wing terrorism could have been contributing factors.
CSIS added that President Donald Trump’s reelection could be making right-wing activists feel as though they do not need to turn to violence. According to the report, “Anti-immigrant sentiment is one of the most important violent extremist motivations in recent years,” and the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration could be mitigating the levels of right-wing violence.
The report also analyzed government leaders’ reactions to Charlie Kirk’s assasination to offer suggestions for responding to political violence, urging politicians to “avoid overreacting with crackdowns on peaceful organizations” and address all terrorism, including left-wing, right-wing, and jihadist attacks, rather than focusing on only one.
“Although leaders are not responsible for extremists in their midst,” CSIS stated, ”they are responsible for how they behave toward extremists.”
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has been a role model for how to denounce extremists, according to CSIS.
“Cox described Kirk’s killing as ‘an attack on all of us.’ And he offered a simple exhortation that would benefit both sides,“ the report said, “particularly in moments like these, when violence can spiral: ‘Disagree better.’”
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