Kirk killing spotlights rise in left-wing violence as CSIS reports 30-year high

Conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10 in Utah while addressing an audience at Utah Valley University, authorities said. Prosecutors charged 22-year-old Tyler Robinson with murder, stalking and firearms violations in the shooting that killed Kirk as he spoke.

The killing comes amid a broader trend tracked by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The CSIS analysis covers 750 terrorist incidents in the United States from 1994 through July 2025 and finds left-wing attacks now outnumbering far-right attacks for the first time in more than three decades, even as the overall lethality remains relatively low. The report notes that a spike in incidents has coincided with actions targeting government facilities and plots aimed at conservative leaders. In one incident, a group of black-clad suspects armed with rifles and fireworks stormed the ICE Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, on July 4, resulting in charges against fourteen suspects for attempted murder of federal officers and firearms offenses. In January, Capitol Police arrested Riley Jane English, 24, on the National Mall after documents show she carried a folding knife and two Molotov cocktails and threatened top Republican officials. Left-wing activity around Kirk’s death drew additional attention when posters mocking his assassination appeared at Georgetown University before being removed and reported to the FBI.

In a related federal case, Luigi Mangione has been charged with murder, stalking and firearms violations in connection with Kirk’s death. A judge later threw out terrorism charges against Mangione, but the Department of Justice described the case as politically motivated. The juxtaposition of high-profile political targets and a rising tide of left-wing incidents has fed a national debate about how to address political violence without fueling further extremism.

Experts note that, by comparison, right-wing terrorism has caused higher death tolls in recent years. Still, the CSIS analysis warns that the current lull in lethality should not be mistaken for a lasting trend and cautions that the landscape could shift again. Analysts urge restraint from political leaders and activists on both sides, arguing that broad crackdowns on nonviolent groups risk fueling further extremism.

The CSIS report emphasizes that leaders should condemn violence on their own side and call for calm when violence involves others. As Kirk’s death reverberates through the national conversation, researchers say ignoring the trend would be a dangerous mistake for policymakers and the public alike, underscoring the need for vigilant, nonpartisan responses to political violence.

The events surrounding Kirk’s death and the Mangione case have highlighted how left-wing extremists sometimes target prominent conservative figures, a dynamic CSIS says should be met with careful analysis and a commitment to rule-of-law responses rather than broad political crackdowns.

Those familiar with the CSIS findings stress that, while left-wing violence has surged in frequency, its lethality remains comparatively low relative to some past periods of extremism. The center’s researchers also warn that public and political reactions could shape future dynamics, potentially influencing both the behavior of activists and the intensity of law-enforcement responses. In sum, the report calls for leadership that rejects violence on all sides and supports calm, lawful avenues for political engagement.

Charlie Kirk’s death, and the broader surge in left-wing activity, has intensified scrutiny of how political rhetoric and policy responses intersect with acts of violence. As investigators continue to piece together the motives behind the Utah shooting and related cases, observers say the immediate priority is preventing further harm while maintaining commitments to civil discourse and the rule of law.