What are the most notable instances of left-wing violence in the US since 2015?

1. Summary of the results

Reporting and studies cited in the supplied material claim a marked uptick in politically motivated violence tied to left-wing actors in the United States, particularly in 2024–2025. Journalistic accounts point to high-profile incidents — the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and a shooting at an ICE facility in Texas — as emblematic, and a Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) study is cited as saying 2025 is on track to be the most violent year for leftist extremists in three decades ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Other articles name groups said to be linked to attacks or plots, including the Socialist Rifle Association and small armed collectives like “Armed Queers,” and recount arrests, attempted attacks, and attacks on government facilities ^{[4] [5] [6]}. Coverage emphasizes a shift in the balance of extremist violence after years when far-right actors dominated, and it highlights both lethal attacks and conspiracies targeting high-profile conservative figures and immigration enforcement personnel ^{[1] [3]}. The central factual claim across these sources is that left-wing political violence increased in 2024–2025 and that several notable incidents reflect this trend ^{[2] [3]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The sources supplied often omit broader quantitative context and definitional clarity that would affect interpretation. For example, analyses rely on a CSIS study to say left-wing attacks outpaced far-right incidents in 2025, but they do not show multi-year incident counts, normalization by population, or the role of lone actors versus organized groups, which scholars emphasize when comparing extremist trends ^{[2] [3]}. Historical comparisons invoke the Weathermen and 1970s-era militancy without distinguishing scale or state response, and the material does not consistently document motive, organizational command-and-control, or whether incidents were politically directed versus criminal acts later framed as political ^{[7] [4]}. Alternative viewpoints — including experts who caution against equating isolated violent acts with an organized left-wing terror campaign, or who note that much extremist violence in the U.S. historically comes from the far right — are absent or underrepresented in the supplied analyses ^{[7] [6]}. Without standardized definitions, baseline rates, and transparent methodology, claims about “most notable instances” risk overstating continuity or coordination across disparate incidents ^{[2] [1]}.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

Framing the question as “most notable instances of left-wing violence” and citing select incidents and studies can serve political and media agendas by amplifying certain narratives while minimizing others. Conservative commentators and some outlets may benefit from highlighting violent acts tied to left-leaning actors to argue that left-wing rhetoric or policy leads to violence; several supplied articles advance links between political rhetoric and specific attacks ^{[6] [3]}. Conversely, left-leaning actors have incentives to contextualize or downplay isolated incidents to avoid association with extremism, and some writers stress the predominance of far-right violence historically to counter balance ^[7]. Media outlets relying on dramatic examples without transparent sourcing or statistical context can create a perception of a coordinated “left-wing terror wave” that may not be supported by comprehensive data; this benefits actors seeking to justify policy changes, increased surveillance, or law-enforcement focus on leftist groups ^[1]. Readers should note who highlights specific incidents and why, and seek methodologically transparent studies before drawing broad conclusions ^{[2] [4]}.