Fact check: How do fatalities from left-wing and right-wing violence compare globally, particularly in Europe?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses provided do not offer a direct comparison of fatalities from left-wing and right-wing violence globally, particularly in Europe ^{[1] [2] [3]}. However, right-wing extremist violence is reported to be more frequent and deadly than left-wing violence in the United States, with right-wing terrorists accounting for over half of the murders due to political violence in the last five years ^[4]. Additionally, research by Art Jipson and Paul J. Becker suggests that right-wing extremist violence accounts for approximately 75% to 80% of domestic terrorism deaths since 2001 ^[5]. In the context of Europe, while there is no direct comparison, the main concern of EU Member States is jihadist terrorism, and right-wing terrorism is also considered a threat ^[6]. Furthermore, ACLED data indicates that the far right is behind 85% of radical violence in the EU ^[7].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

A key missing context in the original statement is the definition of left-wing and right-wing violence, as different sources may have different criteria for classification ^{[4] [8] [5]}. Moreover, the geographical scope of the comparison is not clearly defined, with some sources focusing on the United States ^{[4] [8] [5]} and others on Europe ^{[1] [2] [3] [6] [9] [7]}. Alternative viewpoints include the perspectives of different political affiliations, with polling data suggesting that Americans' perceptions of political violence vary depending on their political affiliation ^[8]. Additionally, the role of jihadist terrorism in Europe is a significant factor, with the majority of fatalities and casualties resulting from jihadist terrorist attacks ^[9].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement may be misleading due to the lack of clear definitions and geographical scope, which could lead to inaccurate comparisons ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Furthermore, the framing of the question may benefit those who seek to downplay the threat of right-wing extremism, as some sources suggest that right-wing violence is more frequent and deadly than left-wing violence ^{[4] [5] [7]}. On the other hand, the emphasis on jihadist terrorism in Europe may benefit those who seek to shift the focus away from right-wing extremism ^{[6] [9]}. Overall, a nuanced and evidence-based approach is necessary to accurately compare fatalities from left-wing and right-wing violence globally, particularly in Europe ^{[4] [8] [5] [1] [2] [3] [6] [9] [7]}.