
<p><strong>(This is a very long commentary, but this issue cannot be covered in a headline and a few short words. That is because my explanation runs contrary to the widely held misconceptions and false narratives that most political violence comes from the right. ; I beg to differ.)</strong></p>



<p>I have written in the past about the radical left being responsible for most of the political violence throughout American history. ; I wrote that based on experience and knowledge of history—the facts.</p>



<p>Of course, those on the left say otherwise. ; MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough recently declared that “every study shows that most political violence comes from the right.” ; As untrue as it is, that has been the left’s political mantra in recent years – regurgitated without investigation by the crony news media. ; It is just another false narrative of the kind Democrats engage in as a matter of strategy. ; (Remember the false Russian collusion narrative? ; The false Hunter Biden laptop narrative? ; The fascist dictator narrative?) ;  ; ;</p>



<p>To prove his point, Scarborough offered up a cherry-picked list of half dozen recent incidents of political violence – leaning heavily on right-wing violence. ; It was a pathetic anecdotal list proving nothing. ; And he is not alone in spreading such misleading disinformation.</p>



<p>Recently, CNN’s Michael Smerconish – who I greatly admire &#8212; supported the pox on both houses approach with his own short list of left and right-wing violence – six on each side. ; ; That is about as informative of only counting murders that happen on Mondays. ;</p>



<p>There is a much bigger picture, and it does settle the question of which side of the philosophical or partisan divide is responsible for the most violence &#8212; and it is not even close. ; It is the big picture that the left refuses to see – or at least allow us to see.</p>



<p>We have to understand that the debate on political violence is skewed by the fact that the left simply does not include every instance of political violence in the count. ; In fact, they simply ignore the vast majority of political violence. ; And unfortunately, even the more objective, albeit gullible, observers accept those gross omissions. ;</p>



<p>Political violence is not new to the American landscape. There have been so many acts of political violence in American history that there is not enough space to list them in this commentary.</p>



<p>The most significant omission from the list of political violent events are all those riots attributed to racial issues or simply described as civil.  ; ;In fact, virtually every race riot in my lifetime (think the last days of President Roosevelt) rises from the political left. ; ; Those folks looting, burning, destroying, vandalizing, injuring and even killing – and those who aided and abetted them &#8212; were not the local conservative Republican folks. ; And to suggest that those thousands of violent riots are not political in nature is to deny the existence of the sun.</p>



<p>From labor riots in the early 20th century to the unrest following the death of George Floyd, the United States has endured waves of destruction tied to ideological fervor. While both the left and right have committed acts of violence, the full historical and contemporary record shows that the <strong>preponderance of political violence has come from the left by far</strong>—a fact often downplayed or reframed by Democrats, the news media and academic institutions that lean left themselves.</p>



<p><strong>The History of Political Violence in America</strong></p>



<p>For the purposes of this commentary, we are focusing on a partial but representative list of major political violence since 1960. ; It is by far not a complete list. ; It does not cover the innumerable individual and unreported acts of low-level political violence– such as political headquarters vandalism or non-deadly assaults on local political figures. ; Also, many of the individual listings I provide below cover simultaneous riots in scores or even hundreds of cities.</p>



<p>It is also noteworthy that most of the right-wing political violence is committed by nutcase lone wolfs. Whereas left-wing violence tends to involve organizations and massive numbers of participants. ; Left-wing violence tends to be large scale &#8212; takin more lives, causing more injuries, destroying and damaged more property, and costing far more taxpayer and private money.</p>



<p>Here is a list of many of the major acts of political violence in the past 65 years. ; It clearly shows the propensity of left-wing issues and players to motivate violence.</p>



<p><strong>The List</strong></p>



<p>Here is a list of many of the notable acts of political violence since 1960 -noting which side of the philosophic divide. It is not a complete list but is representative. ;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><thead><tr><td><strong>Event</strong></td><td><strong>Year</strong></td><td><strong>Location</strong></td><td><strong>Affiliation / Cause</strong></td><td><strong>Type of Violence</strong></td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Assassination of JFK</td><td>1963</td><td>Dallas, TX</td><td>Left / Marxist pro-Cuba</td><td>Presidential assassination</td></tr><tr><td>Assassination of RFK</td><td>1968</td><td>Los Angeles, CA</td><td>Left / Anti-Israel Palestinian</td><td>Political assassination</td></tr><tr><td>Stonewall Inn Riots</td><td>1969</td><td>New York, NY</td><td>Left/LGBTQ uprising</td><td>Riots against police raid</td></tr><tr><td>Sterling Hall Bombing</td><td>1970</td><td>Madison, WI</td><td>Left / Anti-Vietnam War</td><td>Car bombing, 1 death, $2M damage</td></tr><tr><td>Greenwich Village Townhouse Explosion</td><td>1970</td><td>New York, NY</td><td>Left / Weather Underground</td><td>Premature bomb blast, 3 deaths</td></tr><tr><td>Kent State Shooting Protests</td><td>1970</td><td>Kent, OH</td><td>Left / Anti-war rioting</td><td>4 students killed</td></tr><tr><td>Capitol Bombing by Weather Underground</td><td>1971</td><td>Washington, D.C.</td><td>Left / Anti-Vietnam War</td><td>Dynamite explosion</td></tr><tr><td>Attempted Assassination of Gov. Wallace</td><td>1972</td><td>Laurel, MD</td><td>Left / Initially planned to kill Nixon</td><td>Wallace paralyzed</td></tr><tr><td>Attempted Assassination of Gerald Ford #1</td><td>1975</td><td>Sacramento, CA</td><td>Left / Environmental extremism</td><td> ;Gun jammed</td></tr><tr><td>Attempted Assassination of Gerald Ford #2</td><td>1975</td><td>San Francisco, CA</td><td>Left / Radical activism</td><td>Fired at Ford, narrowly missed</td></tr><tr><td>White Night Riots</td><td>1979</td><td>San Francisco, CA</td><td>Left / LGBTQ outrage</td><td>Riots after Dan White verdict</td></tr><tr><td>Miami Liberty City Riots</td><td>1980</td><td>Miami, FL</td><td>Left / Police acquittal</td><td>18 deaths, 300 injuries</td></tr><tr><td>Attempted Assassination of Ronald Reagan</td><td>1981</td><td>Washington, D.C.</td><td>Non-political / Obsession with Jody Foster</td><td>Reagan wounded, 3 others shot</td></tr><tr><td>Unabomber Attacks</td><td>1978–1995</td><td>Nationwide</td><td>Left / Climate and technology issues</td><td>Mail bombings, 3 killed, 23 injured</td></tr><tr><td>Rodney King Riots</td><td>1992</td><td>Los Angeles, CA</td><td>Left / Police brutality</td><td>59 deaths, 2,300 injuries</td></tr><tr><td>Oklahoma City Bombing</td><td>1995</td><td>Oklahoma City, OK</td><td>Right / Anti-government</td><td>Federal building bombing, 168 deaths</td></tr><tr><td>Cincinnati Riots</td><td>2001</td><td>Cincinnati, OH</td><td>Left / Police shooting</td><td>Looting, arson, 70 injuries</td></tr><tr><td>Wrigleyville Fake Bomber</td><td>2010</td><td>Chicago, IL</td><td>Undetermined / General grievances</td><td>Planted fake bomb to incite chaos</td></tr><tr><td>Gabby Giffords Shooting</td><td>2011</td><td>Tucson, AZ</td><td>Nonpolitical / Personal hatred possible job related</td><td>6 killed, 13 injured</td></tr><tr><td>Occupy Wall Street</td><td>2011</td><td>NYC &; 100+ cities</td><td>Left / Anti-capitalism</td><td>Encampments, clashes, arrests</td></tr><tr><td>Occupy Portland</td><td>2011</td><td>Portland, OR</td><td>Left / Anti-capitalism</td><td>Fires and vandalism</td></tr><tr><td>Ferguson Riots</td><td>2014</td><td>Ferguson, MO</td><td>Left / Police shooting</td><td>Arson, looting, clashes</td></tr><tr><td>NYPD Officers Ramos &; Liu Assassinated</td><td>2014</td><td>Brooklyn, NY</td><td>Left / Anti-police revenge</td><td>Double homicide</td></tr><tr><td>Baltimore Riots</td><td>2015</td><td>Baltimore, MD and other cities</td><td>Left / Freddie Gray death</td><td>Arson, looting, National Guard</td></tr><tr><td>Mother Emanuel Church Shooting</td><td>2015</td><td>Charleston, SC</td><td>Right / White supremacist</td><td>Mass shooting, 9 deaths</td></tr><tr><td>Charlottesville Riot &; Car Attack</td><td>2017</td><td>Charlottesville, VA</td><td>Left-wing rioting / Right-wing killer</td><td>Neo-Nazi ramming attack, 1 death</td></tr><tr><td>Steve Scalise Shooting</td><td>2017</td><td>Alexandria, VA</td><td>Left / Bernie Sanders supporter</td><td>Attempted mass murder</td></tr><tr><td>Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting</td><td>2018</td><td>Pittsburgh, PA</td><td>Right / Antisemitic hate crime</td><td>Mass shooting, 11 deaths</td></tr><tr><td>MAGA Bomber (Cesar Sayoc)</td><td>2018</td><td>Nationwide</td><td>Right / Pro-Trump extremism</td><td>Mailed 16 bombs to Democrats</td></tr><tr><td>George Floyd Riots</td><td>2020</td><td>40+ cities</td><td>Left / Police brutality</td><td>$2B+ damage, dozens of deaths</td></tr><tr><td>Attempted Kidnapping of Gov. Whitmer</td><td>2020</td><td>Michigan</td><td>Right / Anti-lockdown militia</td><td>Foiled plot, convictions</td></tr><tr><td>Capitol Riot</td><td>2021</td><td>Washington, D.C.</td><td>Right / Stop certification</td><td>Breach of Capitol, 1 death</td></tr><tr><td>Buffalo Grocery Store Shooting</td><td>2022</td><td>Buffalo, NY</td><td>Right / White supremacist</td><td>Racially motivated mass shooting, 10 deaths</td></tr><tr><td>Attempted Assassination of Justice Kavanaugh</td><td>2022</td><td>Maryland</td><td>Left / Abortion ruling</td><td>Armed suspect arrested</td></tr><tr><td>Knife Attack on Rep. Lee Zeldin</td><td>2022</td><td>Perinton, NY</td><td>Left / GOP hatred</td><td>Attempted stabbing on stage</td></tr><tr><td>Paul Pelosi Hammer Attack</td><td>2022</td><td>San Francisco, CA</td><td>Right / Anti-Democrat conspiracy</td><td>Home invasion, skull fracture</td></tr><tr><td>Trump Assassination Attempt #1</td><td>2024</td><td>Butler, PA</td><td>Left/ Viewed Trump as fascist. ;</td><td>Grazed ear, 1 death</td></tr><tr><td>Trump Assassination Attempt #2</td><td>2024</td><td>West Palm Beach, FL</td><td>Left / Feared Trump as fascist</td><td>Foiled by Secret Service</td></tr><tr><td>Murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO</td><td>2024</td><td>New York, NY</td><td>Left / Anti-corporate terrorism</td><td>Targeted shooting, terrorism charges</td></tr><tr><td>Assassination of Rep. Melissa Hortman and shooting others</td><td>2025</td><td>Brooklyn Park, MN</td><td>Right / Anti-Democrat hit list</td><td>Gun attacks on state legislators</td></tr><tr><td>Arson of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Residence</td><td>2025</td><td>Harrisburg, PA</td><td>Left / Anti-Israel over war</td><td>Started fires in residence/ attempted murder</td></tr><tr><td>Anti-Israel Campus Riots</td><td>2025</td><td>Columbia, NYU, Harvard, others</td><td>Left / Pro-Palestinian activism</td><td>Building occupations, vandalism and attacks on Jewish students.</td></tr><tr><td>ICE Facility Attacks</td><td>2025</td><td>Portland, TX, others</td><td>Left / Anti-ICE protests</td><td>Arson, shootings, assaults</td></tr><tr><td>Tesla Vandalism &; Arson</td><td>2025</td><td>Nationwide</td><td>Left / Anti-Musk and DOGE.</td><td>Showrooms and vehicles burned. ; Privately owned cars damaged.</td></tr><tr><td>Assassination of Charlie Kirk</td><td>2025</td><td>Orem, UT</td><td>Left / Anti-conservative</td><td>Sniper shot, 1 death</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>



<p>(Even as I am writing this, there have been two more news reports of violent attacks on ICE agents. ; And a group protesting Jimmy Kimmel’s indefinite leave of absence got into a tussle with police. ; This left-wing violence seems to be occurring on a daily basis. ; Out of fairness, I looked for right-wing violence, None were reported anywhere.)</p>



<p><strong>Comparative Reactions</strong></p>



<p>One of the notable distinctions between the left and the right is how they react when displeased by political policies and events. ; The left takes to the streets en masse. ; Even so-called peaceful demonstrations too often break the law by blocking streets or access to businesses. They attack police officers with rocks, cans, and even urine. ; All illegal and not protected by the Constitution. ; And largely ignored – or excused – by leaders on the left.</p>



<p>To understand the difference, one only needs to look at the activities of Antifa and Black Lives Matter – which openly call for and engage in violence. ; Compare that to the Tea Party movement in which the right to protest was exercised without violence, damage or arrests.</p>



<p>When George Floyd was murdered by police, the left erupted in acts of major – even deadly –violence across the nation. When Charlie Kirk was assassinated, there was an outburst of peaceful prayer vigils across the country – and around the world. ; Ironically, those were violently attacked by left-wingers.</p>



<p>Those on the left <strong>talk</strong> a lot about right-wing violence and terrorism – and even predict it. ; You may recall how the left predicted an outbreak of violence on the first anniversary of the January 6 Capitol Hill riot. ; (Pelosi ordered fencing to be erected and called in the National Guard for security. ; All for those 200 peaceful protesters who showed up to hear speeches.) ; Or how right-wing terrorists would bring havoc to cities across America. ; Or how right-wingers would attack the polling places on election day 2024. (In Arizona, the Chicken Littles even put up barriers and in one case positioned snipers on the roof.) ; ; None of that happened.</p>



<p>In the aftermath of the Kirk murder, thousands of hateful left-wingers organically rose to destroy, burn or remove impromptu memorials – resulting in hundreds of arrests. It is the political DNA of the left to engage in street violence over every perceived grievance – weather organized or lone wolves. ; In the past, I have labeled them the “perma-pissed”. ; Their first impulse is to take to the streets – with some level of violence.</p>



<p><strong>A Matter of Sanctioning</strong></p>



<p>This knee-jerk response may be due to the fact that the left-wing establishment condones – and even supports political violence – both by lack of condemnation and in some cases outright encouragement. We see this in the left-wing Democrat mayors who order the police to stand down in the face of rioting or order the National Guard to stay away. We see it in the prosecutors who refuse to prosecute rioters. ; In one of the most outrageous examples was Vice President Harris actually raised baoil money for rioters. ; It is part of the left’s historic soft on criminals/hard on victims policies.</p>



<p><strong>Summary</strong></p>



<p>Political violence is corrosive to democracy, no matter who commits it. But ignoring or excusing violence from one side while dishonesty vilifying the other is intellectually dishonest and socially dangerous. The left must take ownership for its legacy of violence and take responsibility for the harm it has caused.</p>



<p>Until that happens – and apparently it will not happen soon &#8212; calls for unity and healing will ring hollow. Accountability must be universal, not selective. And the truth must be told—even when it’s inconvenient.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

It is a FACT. The left is responsible for most political violence … period
