Press Release

ADL Report Exposes Right-Wing Terrorism Threat in the U.S.

Says Work to Combat Danger of Domestic Extremism is “Far From Over”

New York, NY, May 22, 2017 … Right-wing extremists have been responsible for plotting at least 150 acts of terror in the United States over the past 25 years, according to a new report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). These attacks and attempted attacks, many of them deadly, illustrate the consistent and serious threat that right-wing extremists pose to all Americans.

The report, from ADL’s Center on Extremism, serves as a potent and timely reminder that recent events like the white supremacist who travelled to New York City with the alleged intent of engaging in a spree of attacks against African-Americans are not isolated or rare examples of right-wing violence. Rather they are the latest in a long string of terror incidents connected to right-wing extremists. Right wing terror attacks or plots have taken place every year in the past quarter century.

“As we look at the spectrum of hate in America today, it is clear right-wing extremists have become much more visible and quite emboldened," said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “This consistent threat requires consistent resources so we can reduce domestic terrorism through countering violent extremist (CVE) efforts. Our work combating these dangerous extremists is far from over.”

A Dark & Constant Rage: 25 Years of Right-Wing Terrorism in the United States analyzes 150 terrorist acts committed, attempted, or plotted by right-wing extremists. More than 800 people were killed or injured in these attacks, which surged during the mid-to-late 1990s and again starting in 2009. The report reveals that white supremacists (64 incidents) and anti-government extremists such as militia groups and sovereign citizens (63 incidents) were responsible for the vast majority of the terror episodes.

Right-wing extremists choose many targets for their anger, most frequently homing in on government, law enforcement, racial and religious marks.

“Both white supremacists and anti-government extremists oppose the government and they are also both hostile to law enforcement,” said Mark Pitcavage, Senior Research Fellow at ADL’s Center on Extremism. “The most common religious targets are Jews and Muslims, while the most common racial targets were African-Americans, including multi-racial targets. But right-wing extremists have also targeted infrastructure, businesses—even crowded public areas. They have a lot of hate to go around.”

In addition to the terror incidents listed in the report, right-wing extremists also regularly commit other acts of violence, from assaults to murders. ADL’s research has found that from 2007 to 2016, a range of domestic extremists of all kinds were responsible for the deaths of at least 372 people across the country. Seventy-four percent of these murders came at the hands of right-wing extremists such as white supremacists, sovereign citizens and militia adherents.

ADL’s Center on Extremism fights extremism, terrorism and all forms of hate in the real world and cyberspace with unmatched capabilities in research, analysis, investigation, and online monitoring. Recognized as the foremost authority on extremism, the Center provides resources, expertise and training which enables law enforcement, public officials, community leaders and internet and technology companies to identify and counter emerging threats.