What are documented examples of far-left political violence in the US since 2020, including dates and convictions?
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Executive summary
Documented examples of violent acts linked to far-left actors in the U.S. since 2020 include the August 2020 Portland shooting that killed Aaron Danielson and the December 2024 assassination of a UnitedHealthcare executive in New York; scholars and think tanks report that left-wing incidents have increased but remain far less lethal than right-wing attacks (CSIS; Lowy Institute) [1] [2]. Multiple major analyses and watchdogs emphasize that right-wing political violence has historically caused more fatalities, even as some databases show a recent uptick in left-wing incidents (Brookings; PBS; CSIS) [3] [4] [5].
1. Clear, documented killings tied to alleged far-left perpetrators
The most-cited examples in recent reporting are the August 2020 shooting in Portland — Michael Reinoehl’s killing of Patriot Prayer member Aaron Danielson — which federal and academic datasets count as a left-wing fatality, and a December 2024 New York assassination of a UnitedHealthcare executive that CSIS lists as a left-wing lethal attack [1] [2]. Brookings and other analysts note Reinoehl’s killing as the single murder attributed to a left-wing extremist in the post-9/11 period prior to later years, making it a touchstone case in debates about ideology and violence [3].
2. What “increase” in left-wing incidents actually means in the data
Researchers say left-wing incidents rose in count in certain recent years, but lethality remained low compared with right-wing attacks. CSIS reports surges in left-wing plots and attacks in specific years (e.g., 2020 and 2022) while stressing overall far-right violence historically accounts for more fatalities [1] [6]. The Lowy Institute similarly notes that excluding Charlie Kirk’s 2025 killing, only two fatalities since 2020 were tied to left-wing terrorism: the December 2024 New York case and the August 2020 Portland shooting [2].
3. Convictions and criminal outcomes: reporting limitations
Available sources document prosecutions and convictions for many politically motivated crimes, but detailed, case-by-case conviction lists for all alleged far-left actors since 2020 are not provided in this set of reports. CSIS and academic literature catalogue plots and attacks and identify some prosecuted actors, but the search results here do not supply a comprehensive list of convictions tied specifically to named far-left incidents post‑2020 [1] [7]. Therefore: not found in current reporting — a consolidated list of dates plus individual conviction outcomes for every documented far-left incident since 2020.
4. Comparative context: why commentators dispute the scale of the threat
Multiple sources emphasize that while left-wing incidents exist and have increased in some datasets, right-wing extremist violence has historically been more frequent and deadlier. Brookings, PBS, The Guardian and others underscore that far-right attacks produced the majority of extremist fatalities in recent decades, and that data analysts caution against overstating left-wing lethality [3] [4] [8]. Critics of reports that highlight left-wing trends argue those analyses can mislead by focusing on counts rather than lethality or by relying on databases with uneven coverage [9] [10].
5. Political framing and competing agendas in official and public accounts
Congressional hearings and some lawmakers have framed 2020 protests as “incited” by far-left groups, while researchers warn that policing, protest dynamics and right-wing threats complicate that narrative. Congressional texts and Homeland Security subcommittee statements emphasize left-wing violence as a policy concern [11] [12]. Independent researchers and watchdogs signal a contrasting agenda: many data-driven studies show right‑wing extremism remains the dominant lethal threat, and they caution against policy responses shaped by political messaging rather than balanced evidence [4] [3].
6. How to read this evidence responsibly
The empirical picture is mixed: databases show a recent rise in left-wing incidents but also show far-right actors have caused more deaths historically [7] [6]. Analysts warn that incident-count spikes can reflect detection, classification changes, or brief shifts in dynamics [10]. For precise answers about convictions, reporters and researchers should consult court records, DOJ press releases and the databases cited by CSIS and academic studies rather than relying on political statements — those sources are not fully reproduced in the documents collected here [1] [10].
Limitations: this summary uses only the supplied reporting; it cannot invent conviction dates or fill gaps where source material is silent. For a verified, itemized list of every far-left incident since 2020 with dates plus court outcomes, consult primary court dockets, DOJ announcements, and the CSIS dataset referenced above [1].