HOW COOKED DATA FUELS THE MYTH OF RIGHT-WING VIOLENCE
The Data Deception: How the Left Distorts Political Violence in America
The numbers don’t add up — and the truth is being buried
By Staff Writer | September 25, 2025
The assassination of Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025 sent shockwaves across the political spectrum. For many conservatives, it felt like visceral proof of a mounting campaign of hostility directed at them. But as the outrage settled, a competing narrative emerged: progressive leaders and pundits were quick to push back—pointing to data they claimed demonstrated that most political violence originates on the right.
One striking example: Representative Ilhan Omar shared a chart from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) proposing that right-wing extremists were responsible for the lion’s share of political murders in the U.S. Her comment — “Data isn’t vibes” — was meant to shut down debate. But when you dig deeper into how these datasets are constructed, what they include (and exclude), and how they interpret motive — the whole picture becomes murkier.
The Numbers, Revisited
The ADL’s Murder and Extremism in the United States remains one of the most commonly cited sources when arguing that right-wing extremists commit the majority of politically motivated murders. In its 2024 edition, the ADL claimed that 11 out of 13 extremist murders were carried out by “right-wing” actors.
But how many of those cases had genuine ideological motives? Critics argue that the ADL often classifies murders stemming from nonpolitical motives — criminal disputes, family conflicts, gang violence — into the “right-wing extremism” bucket, especially if the suspect has some superficial tie (tattoos, prior associations) to white supremacist ideologies.
A further point: in the ADL’s own dataset, for most of the 11 attributed murders, ideology wasn’t a proven factor. In other words, the classification is often based on inference, not clear evidence.
Meanwhile, incidents that might cast a more balanced light on left-wing violence tend to vanish from those same tallies. The assassination of Charlie Kirk, for example, included engravings of far-left slogans on the ammunition used — evidence of ideological intent — yet the ADL did not classify it as left-wing extremism. Similarly, the recent Dallas ICE facility shooting (in which casings bore “ANTI-ICE” inscriptions) has been widely discussed in political commentary, yet official data regimes struggle to consistently label such acts as left-wing politically motivated violence.
More broadly, a 2025 Cato Institute study found that from 1975 through September 2025, “right-wing terrorists” were responsible for 391 murders (about 11 % of total politically motivated killings), while “left-wing terrorists” accounted for 65 (approximately 2 %). That is not to say left-wing violence is negligible — but the claim that the “left is utterly clean” is a distortion just as glaring as the claim that the right is exclusively dangerous.
What Is and Isn’t Counted
Framing Gunmen vs. Framing Extremists
When a shooting involves ideological markings (e.g. slogans etched on bullets), courts and media may struggle to label it definitively “extremist” — especially when ideological symbols or motives don’t align neatly with one category. But if an attacker leans right or has some perceived association, it often gets tallied immediately as “right-wing extremism.” That asymmetric treatment skews public perception.
Riots, Protests, and Collective Violence
Consider the unrest of 2020: large-scale protests, nights of burning, destroyed storefronts, and assaults on public property across cities like Chicago, Minneapolis, Portland, and Seattle. To many observers, those were acts of political violence under left-wing banners such as BLM and Antifa. But in datasets produced by the ADL and other extremism trackers, few of these episodes are treated as “extremist incidents.”
If every Molotov cocktail, every brick hurled at a federal building, every shattered storefront were counted through the same lens, the narrative that “only the right is violent” would collapse.
Recent Events That Test the Narrative
Charlie Kirk Assassination (Sept. 2025) — Political commentator Charlie Kirk was shot while speaking at Utah Valley University. Investigators recovered a Mauser rifle and found inscriptions on casings.
Dallas ICE Shooting (Sept. 2025) — A sniper attack at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office left one detainee dead and two others critically injured. Casings marked “ANTI-ICE” were recovered.
Alvarado ICE Ambush (July 2025) — A coordinated ambush using fireworks and rifles targeted an ICE detention facility in Texas. One police officer was wounded.
Capital Jewish Museum Shooting (May 2025) — A shooting outside the museum in Washington, D.C., killed two Israeli Embassy staffers. The suspect reportedly chanted “Free Palestine.”
Boulder Firebombing (June 2025) — Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower were used against a solidarity walk for Israeli hostages. An 82-year-old woman later died from injuries.
Each of these incidents raises hard questions: was it “terrorism”? Was it “political violence”? Which ideological bucket should it be placed in — and by what standard?
What the Broader Data Actually Shows
Right-wing violence remains deadlier overall. Multiple studies confirm that right-wing extremist violence has historically accounted for more fatalities.
Political violence is surging. Recent years have seen assassination attempts and ideologically motivated killings at levels not seen since the 1960s.
Extremists are shifting tactics. Intelligence forecasts suggest a move from mass-casualty events toward targeted assassinations and symbolic attacks.
Support for violence is rising. Surveys show nearly one in five Americans “strongly agree” with the need for a civic uprising against government policy.
Ideological lines are blurring. Many attackers blend grievances, conspiracy theories, and personal motives — making neat left-right labels misleading.
Why the Narrative Control Matters
This is not mere academic hair-splitting. Whose violence gets counted, classified, amplified, and prosecuted shapes public perception—and policy.
Weaponizing data — Inflating right-wing violence and suppressing left-wing incidents grants progressives a rhetorical tool.
Suppressing accountability — By refusing to label certain violent acts as “extremist,” actors and movements can evade scrutiny.
Controlling media framing — Kirk’s killing was rarely called left-wing violence; the ICE attacks were rarely framed as progressive terrorism. The silence is strategic.
What a Truer Narrative Looks Like
A more honest approach requires:
Uniform definitions of political violence.
Inclusion of symbolic evidence like casings, graffiti, and manifestos.
Transparency about uncertainty instead of forcing cases into preferred categories.
Acknowledging left-wing violence as real and dangerous when it occurs.
Conclusion: The True Battle Is Over Truth
The claim that “right-wingers commit most political violence” is, at best, a misleading shorthand. At worst, it’s a deliberate distortion. The truth is messy — but honesty demands we face it.
Illinois and the nation need leaders who will confront political violence from all sources, not manipulate statistics for partisan gain. Americans deserve facts, not propaganda.
Only with truth can we confront the violence tearing this country apart. And only with courage can we finally say: enough.
Sources
Anti-Defamation League. Murder and Extremism in the United States 2024.
Harsanyi, David. Studies claiming most political violence is right-wing are transparently bogus. Sep. 21, 2025.
Cato Institute. Terrorism and Political Violence Data, 1975–2025.
Global Terrorism Database (GTD), 2017–2025 reports.
Law enforcement reports: Assassination of Charlie Kirk, Sept. 2025.
Washington Post. Dallas ICE facility targeted in fatal shooting. Sept. 24, 2025.
Reuters. Trump says he will sign executive order to dismantle left-wing groups. Sept. 24, 2025.
Politico. Trump issues terrorist designation for Antifa. Sept. 22, 2025.
Congressional Research Service. Black Lives Matter Protests, 2020.
Insurance Information Institute. Riot Damage Estimates, 2020.
Chicago Sun-Times, NBC Chicago, CBS Chicago: 2020 unrest coverage.
Federal court filings: Portland courthouse attacks, 2020.
Seattle Police Department: CHAZ/CHOP shootings, 2020.
