Secretary of State Marco Rubio will convene a meeting with representatives from 65 countries to discuss the threat of left-wing terrorism. The meeting, scheduled for Thursday, aims to expand coordination and enhance information sharing to counter the threat.
Background
The Trump administration has argued that left-wing extremism is a significant threat to the United States, alongside cartels and Islamist terrorists. However, former officials have stated that the issue has been politicized and that the threat from left-wing extremists does not rise to the level of that posed by groups like ISIS or far-right extremists.
According to a senior State Department official, the meeting will focus on violent criminal terrorist acts and will not consider leftist protests as a form of terrorism. The official cited attacks by European Antifa groups as examples of left-wing terrorist actions.
Response
Former officials have criticized the administration’s approach, stating that the reality of the threat from left-wing extremists does not match the administration’s portrayal. They argue that the administration has not focused on the more significant threats posed by far-right terrorism and Islamist violence.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
