Which left-wing groups in the US have been designated as extremist or domestic terrorist threats since 2016?
Executive summary
Federal and academic sources and major news outlets show that U.S. authorities have primarily focused counterterrorism designations and formal labels on foreign organizations or on the broad phenomenon of “anarchist/left‑wing violent extremism” rather than naming many specific U.S. left‑wing groups as designated terrorist organizations since 2016 (examples: DHS/FBI reporting on “anarchist violent extremism” and GW Program on Extremism analysis) [1][2]. In 2025 the Biden/Trump political fight over violence shifted public attention: the U.S. government and State Department in 2025 designated several European anti‑fascist groups as foreign terrorist or “special” targets and a presidential action declared “Antifa” a domestic terrorist organization — a move that major outlets and experts called unprecedented and politically controversial [3][4].
1. What “designated” means — legal labels vs. threat assessments
There are different official categories: the State Department lists Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs); the president and DOJ/DHS/FBI produce domestic terrorism strategy documents and threat assessments; and Congress or agencies publish “snapshots” or lists of groups to watch. Reporting shows most U.S. left‑wing groups have been noted in threat assessments (e.g., DHS, FBI, GWU Program on Extremism) rather than being placed on the State Department FTO list — which historically targets foreign entities [5][1][2].
2. Government and academic focus on anarchist/left‑wing violent extremism (AVE)
Federal and scholarly work since 2016 commonly uses umbrella terms like “anarchist violent extremism” or “anarchist/left‑wing violent extremism” to describe patterns of incidents, prosecutions, and risks in the U.S. The George Washington University Program on Extremism documents AVE activity and warns of potential escalation; DHS and FBI reports also referenced AVE in their assessments of domestic threats [1][2][6].
3. Notable prosecutorial and investigative actions, not always “designations”
Individual criminal cases and FBI/DHS investigations have targeted people who identified with left‑wing currents (e.g., environmental or anarchist actors), and analysts track groups like the Animal Liberation Front, Earth Liberation Front, and newer networks such as Jane’s Revenge in incident databases — but these are typically subjects of criminal charges or intelligence tracking rather than foreign‑terrorist designations [7][7].
4. 2025: Political moves to label “Antifa” and European anti‑fascist groups
In 2025 the executive branch took sweeping steps: a presidential executive action declared “Antifa” a domestic terrorist organization, and the State Department designated four European anti‑fascist groups as foreign terrorist threats — the first time self‑described anti‑fascist groups were named in that way, prompting major news coverage and criticism [8][3][4]. The Guardian and other outlets reported experts saying some named groups “barely exist” and questioned the intelligence basis for those specific designations [4].
5. Data and context: left‑wing incidents vs. right‑wing violence since 2016
Multiple analyses show left‑wing attackers carried out fewer incidents than far‑right actors from 2016 through 2024; CSIS and related reporting counted 41 left‑wing attacks versus 152 far‑right attacks in that period, though 2025 saw an uptick in left‑wing incidents that briefly outpaced far‑right incidents in some datasets [9][10][11]. PBS and FactCheck noted that right‑wing violence historically has been more frequent and deadlier, even as 2025 dynamics altered short‑term trends [12][13].
6. Disagreements among experts and political framing
Security researchers and civil‑society experts criticized the 2025 designations as politically driven; Heidi Beirich and others told The Guardian that the named anti‑fascist groups “barely exist” and are not comparable to established terrorist organizations, while administration statements framed the designations as necessary to counter an alleged wave of leftist violence [4][8]. Independent analyses stress the need to distinguish between violent actors and broad protest movements to avoid chilling lawful dissent — available sources document this debate [4][12].
7. Bottom line for the question asked
Available sources show U.S. policy since 2016 has focused on labeling the phenomenon of anarchist/left‑wing violent extremism in threat reports and prosecuting individuals and cell‑level actors; formal U.S. designations as foreign terrorist organizations of explicitly left‑wing groups have been rare and in 2025 the government uniquely designated certain European anti‑fascist groups and declared “Antifa” a domestic terrorist organization — moves that generated substantial controversy and expert pushback [1][3][4].
Limitations and how to read this: reporting and official documents use different categories (threat assessments, prosecutions, FTO designations, executive actions). Available sources do not provide a simple, authoritative list of U.S. left‑wing groups “designated” as extremist or terrorist since 2016 beyond the 2025 actions described above; for specific, named designations and legal consequences you should consult the State Department FTO list, DOJ filings, or individual agency notices referenced in the cited reporting [3][8][1].