# Were there any cases of left-wing domestic terrorism in the USA in the 1990s and 2000s? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 23, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980 "2018-11-23T20:17:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mislav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mislav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mislav)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/1 "2018-11-23T20:17:48Z")
After the Weather Underground and the Symbionese Liberation Army had been disintegrated? > **[Weather Underground](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weather_Underground)** > > The Weather Underground was a far-left militant organization first active in 1969, founded on the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan. Originally known as the Weathermen, the group was organized as a faction of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) national leadership. Officially known as the Weather Underground Organization (WUO) beginning in 1970, the group's express political goal was to create a revolutionary party to overthrow the United States government, which WUO believed ... > **[Symbionese Liberation Army](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbionese_Liberation_Army)** > > The United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (commonly referred to simply as the SLA) was a small, American far-left militant organization active between 1973 and 1975; it claimed to be a vanguard movement. The FBI and wider American law enforcement considered the SLA to be the first terrorist organization to rise from the American left. Six members died in a May 1974 shootout with police in Los Angeles. The three surviving fugitives recruited new members, but nearly all of the... ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/2 "2018-11-23T20:22:08Z")
Sure, lots of 'em. Do you possibly mean _fatalities_ due to left-wing domestic terrorism? Also, I’m not sure if “2000s” is meant to be confined to a single decade (2000-2009) or include the time period up through today. ---
**Author:** ![Mislav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mislav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mislav)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/3 "2018-11-23T20:26:20Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Sure, lots of 'em. Do you possibly mean _fatalities_ due to left-wing domestic terrorism? > > Also, I’m not sure if “2000s” is meant to be confined to a single decade (2000-2009) or include the time period up through today. Not necessarily fatalities, no. I’m talking any crimes that could be considered terrorism (such as bombings and arsons that didn’t end up murdering anyone). I’m just interested in some specific cases/incidents. And yeah, by 2000s I meant up to 2009/10. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/4 "2018-11-23T20:31:03Z")
[Go here](https://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/) and search. You’ll find quite a few that fit your criteria. Here’s just one example: > [@](#): > > [08/02/2008: On Saturday, at an unknown time, in Santa Cruz, California, United States, two firebombings targeted two UC-Santa Cruz researchers’ property in a string of animal liberation movement actions. A firebomb was ignited on David Feldheim’s front porch. Feldheim, a molecular biologist, escaped from a second story window with his family. An adult was treated at the hospital. An anonymous communique was posted to Bite Back wherein the Animal Liberation Front accepted responsibility.](https://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/IncidentSummary.aspx?gtdid=200808020023) ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/5 "2018-11-23T20:31:33Z")
There is [ELF](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Liberation_Front). ETA [a NYT article from 2002](https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/07/magazine/from-tree-hugger-to-terrorist.html). ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/6 "2018-11-23T20:35:35Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > There is [ELF](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Liberation_Front). > ETA [a NYT article from 2002](https://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/07/magazine/from-tree-hugger-to-terrorist.html). For people who claim to care deeply for the environment, they light an awful lot of shit on fire. ---
**Author:** ![Falchion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a88e57/32.png) [@Falchion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Falchion)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/7 "2018-11-23T20:42:53Z")
> [@Mislav](#): > > After the Weather Underground and the Symbionese Liberation Army had been disintegrated? You’re always going to have difficulty with competing definitions of “terrorism” and “left-wing”, but the answer is pretty clearly “yes.” I think that 2013 [this](https://fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/R42536.pdf) report from the Congressional Research Service provides a decent overview of domestic terrorism. ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/8 "2018-11-23T20:51:06Z")
It is critical to put bounds on what you think is political terrorism. The term _Left-wing terrorism_ is typically reserved for attempts to overthrow conservative or capitalist systems and replace them with Marxist–Leninist, socialist, or anarchist societies. There have been attacks by groups who may have left-wing beliefs, but they are typically not all specifically intended to overthrow the government system. In other words; All ewes are sheep, but not all sheep are ewes. While it does depend on what you define _terrorism_ as, after the fall of the USSR removed the momentum of a lot of organized groups, most left-wing groups like anarchists and Leninists have tended to be intentionally decentralized with instances still happening but not at the scale. While the exact reasons are mostly unknown the groups that follow right-wing political platform ideals like Islamophobia, anti-communism, neo-fascism and neo-Nazism tend to be more likely to organize. While not _required_ to cause an individual to commit an act of terrorism, group membership is typically a highly motivating factor and functions to amplify emotions through propaganda and self-group identification. If the fads on the left-wing side change to forming structured groups again I would expect both the frequency and severity of attacks to increase. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/9 "2018-11-23T21:22:09Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > There is [ELF](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Liberation_Front). The long running ecoterror firebombing campaign was also linked to [ALF](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_Liberation_Front) (Animal Liberation Front.) Frequently the perpetrators, when caught, were affiliated with both groups. Here’s [a look](https://psmag.com/environment/whatever-happened-to-eco-terrorism) at the eco-terror campaign and the FBI finally breaking it’s back. The AALF/ELF linked terror campaign started in the 90s, really got going in 1999, and peaked in 2001 with 163 incidents. After that attacks dwindled until the terror campaign in the US was effectively over by 2012. The typical ALF/ELF attack was a firebombing. That last link also starts with a case against someone convicted, before it was overturned, of plotting to blow up a damn and several cell phone towers. ---
**Author:** ![Mislav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mislav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mislav)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/10 "2018-11-23T22:25:01Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > [Go here](https://www.start.umd.edu/gtd/search/) and search. You’ll find quite a few that fit your criteria. Here’s just one example: Thank you for the link, quite helpful and informative, I will search it there. ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/11 "2018-11-23T23:06:45Z")
Pretty much the whole TV show whale wars. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/12 "2018-11-24T00:00:43Z")
> [@drachillix](#): > > Pretty much the whole TV show whale wars. LOL! Those guys were hilarious to watch. If they weren’t lighting their own ships on fire or sinking them, they were engaged in a half-dozen other forms of incompetent buffoonery. I’m baffled that people like Bob Barker ever thought they were a good investment. ---
**Author:** ![puddleglum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puddleglum/32/137_2.png) [@puddleglum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puddleglum)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/13 "2018-11-24T12:02:44Z")
The Unabomber committed 4 acts of terrorism during the 90s. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/14 "2018-11-24T13:33:07Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Sure, lots of 'em… Are you including mass murders that were not entirely unreasonable? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/15 "2018-11-24T13:36:23Z")
> [@puddleglum](#): > > The Unabomber committed 4 acts of terrorism during the 90s. Kaczynski spent a lot of time in his manifesto specifically [denouncing leftists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski#Summary). There is no indication anywhere he considered himself left wing. Quite the opposite. Also, in reading up on ALF I see nothing that would indicate the group has a left vs. right wing orientation. It seems to be a single-issue group on a topic that isn’t on the left-right spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Quatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bc8723/32.png) [@Mr\_Quatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Quatro)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/16 "2018-11-24T19:29:50Z")
Did they ever catch the group of people that were fire bombing rich people’s homes mostly in Oregon I think? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/17 "2018-11-24T20:08:33Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Kaczynski spent a lot of time in his manifesto specifically [denouncing leftists](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Kaczynski#Summary). Yes, he quite clearly disdained leftists. I definitely never thought of him as a left wing terrorist, but I also never thought of him as a right-wing terrorist. His political philosophy just seemed sui generis to me. ---
**Author:** ![rat\_avatar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rat_avatar/32/255_2.png) [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/18 "2018-11-24T20:29:31Z")
> [@Mr\_Quatro](#): > > Did they ever catch the group of people that were fire bombing rich people’s homes mostly in Oregon I think? I think you are thinking about the “Street of Dreams” fires that were blamed on the ELF. While the arson are unsolved, the builder was convicted for tax fraud and the general word on the street is that the arson were related to an insurance fraud by the same individuals, but the state couldn’t establish enough evidence in the case to press charges. The ELF was likely targeted due to that builder identifying with the right side of the isle. Not that the ELF didn’t commit these type of acts, but in this case it most likely was not the ELF that actually committed these acts. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/19 "2018-11-25T03:47:13Z")
**[Moderating]** **septimus** , if you want to make veiled digs against other posters, the Pit is that way. Or unveiled digs; those are allowed there, too. But not here. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2018, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980/20 "2018-11-25T03:55:20Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > LOL! Those guys were hilarious to watch. If they weren’t lighting their own ships on fire or sinking them, they were engaged in a half-dozen other forms of incompetent buffoonery. I’m baffled that people like Bob Barker ever thought they were a good investment. Hey! Finally something in which I agree with you! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/were-there-any-cases-of-left-wing-domestic-terrorism-in-the-usa-in-the-1990s-and-2000s/824980.md?page=2)