The United States warned on Thursday, during an international ministerial meeting in Washington, of what it described as rising "far-left terrorism" and called for a broadening of efforts to combat it.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who chaired the meeting, said: "For far too long, our counter-terrorism doctrine has been marred by a blind spot — the ignoring of extremist violence emanating from the political left."
He called for strengthening international cooperation, similar to efforts made to counter jihadist violence, to confront what he described as "toxic hatred masquerading under the guise of equality and justice."
Rubio added: "To this day, the idea that far-left terrorism may pose a serious threat is met with dismissal — treated as a fantasy of the right, or, worse still, as a dangerous fascist conspiracy." He indicated that the "radical left" draws its inspiration from "hatred of the West," which he called a "civilizational struggle."
More than 60 delegations from Europe, Asia, and other regions participated in the meeting, titled "The Return of Political Terrorism." US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller — considered the ideological architect behind the US president — also attended.
The timing of the meeting appeared surprising, given that the United States is deeply engaged in its war with Iran.
But Rubio said: "You are here because your political leaders are being attacked, stabbed, and shot in your streets... and because the situation is getting worse, which can no longer be denied or ignored, and because the time has come to root out this evil."