By Ryan Morgan
Contributing Writer
The U.S. State Department on Thursday hosted a ministerial conference to address growing concerns about rising terrorism threats, particularly from the political left.
Representatives from more than 60 nations, spanning the Western Hemisphere, Europe and Asia, were at the meeting in Washington on Thursday.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who organized the event, used the opportunity to urge attendees to take a more critical approach to radical and violent left-wing organizations in their own countries.
Addressing the gathered attendees, Rubio denounced what he described as an institutional reluctance to treat such groups as serious sources of terrorist activity.
“Even today, the very idea that far-left terrorism could be a serious threat is treated as a right-wing fever dream, or worse, as a dangerous fascist conspiracy,” he said.
“It’s treated this way by many in the press, by many in academia, and our universities, and by many of our legacy institutions.”
Last year, the State Department officially designated four left-wing groups — Antifa Ost, the Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front, Armed Proletarian Justice, and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense — as foreign terrorist organizations.
Those groups are associated with Antifa, a far-left extremist group that labels its enemies as “fascist” and has been linked to violent tactics targeting those they oppose.
The modern Antifa derives its name, iconography, and tactics from a militant wing of the Communist Party of Germany established in the 1930s in opposition to the ascendant Nazi Party.
Rubio Describes International Threat
President Donald Trump and members of his administration have taken other recent actions to emphasize the threat posed by left-wing groups.
In September 2025, Trump declared Antifa to be a domestic terrorist organization.
Current U.S. federal law describes domestic terrorism but does not confer authorities with enhanced investigative or prosecutorial tools to go after domestic groups, as they otherwise could against designated foreign terrorist organizations.
In May, the White House released a new counter-terrorism strategy guide that listed “violent left-wing extremists” as one of the three leading terrorism threat categories that the United States currently faces.
Hungary has designated Germany-based Antifa Ost as a terrorist organization, but the German government has not.
Other European governments have been hesitant to apply terror labels against violent left-wing groups.
Despite this reluctance, Rubio hailed signs of international cooperation, such as the German government agreeing to co-host an upcoming counterterrorism law enforcement workshop.
“The coalition we’re building together is already bearing fruit, and we are here today to build on that work,” he said.
As he addressed attendees, Rubio listed historic examples of violent attacks by the left-wing Weather Underground organization, including a 1971 bombing at the U.S. Capitol, a 1972 bombing at the Pentagon, and a 1975 bombing at the State Department’s headquarters.
He also mentioned the 1978 kidnapping and execution of former Italian Prime Minister Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades, among other examples.
Rubio described more recent examples of attacks attributed to left-wing activists, including the sabotage of Berlin’s energy grid in January, and a February incident in which a 23-year-old was beaten to death in the French city of Lyon.
He also described violent left-wing groups as coordinating and sharing resources across international boundaries.
“We will either cooperate across our borders, or the terrorists will continue to exploit the gaps between them,” Rubio said.
Activists Have Questioned Trump’s Efforts
After Trump declared Antifa a domestic terrorist organization last year, the American Civil Liberties Union issued statements warning that Trump’s actions could be used to target his perceived political enemies and intrude on constitutionally protected activities.
“No matter where civil society groups and activists might fall across the ideological spectrum, from far left to far right, nonpartisan to partisan, religious or not, everyone’s First Amendment rights would be at risk,” ACLU spokesperson Hina Shamsi said at the time.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller pushed back on such arguments in his own set of remarks on Thursday.
“One of the hallmarks of left-wing violence and terrorism is its completely pretextual and disingenuous appeal to civil liberties, in an effort to shield its own violence,” Miller said.
“This is the tactic that the left always uses to try to protect itself from facing criminal punishment. It is essential that we are wise enough and strong enough to understand that these appeals must fall on deaf ears.”
Miller raised further concern about left-wing jurors refusing to convict left-wing criminal defendants, out of loyalty to a common ideological cause rather than a fair consideration of evidence presented in a criminal case.
“When you reach that point, it demonstrates how deeply the cancer has begun to infest your society,” Miller said.
The ACLU did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.
