Abortion rights extremists say it is time “to unleash hell on those who are destroying us.” Jane’s Revenge — a group named for Jane, an underground abortion service that operated in Chicago in the early 1970s — declared “open season” on organizations opposed to abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Arson attacks followed in eight different states, including Florida, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Whereas the bombing of abortion clinics by right-wing extremists made national headlines a generation ago, the media have treated the latest attacks as an afterthought. That is a mistake, since there is likely more violence to come. Extremists represent the fringe of the abortion rights movement, but they are part of a militant sub-culture that is spreading across the United States.

Under the banner of anti-fascism — Antifa, for short — a growing number of radicalized individuals are preparing for attacks on a variety of targets deemed as evil. It is past time for both elected officials and law enforcement bodies to take this threat more seriously.

For Antifa, violence is a form of justified “self-defense” against the alleged fascism of right-wing groups and the “oppression” of the U.S. political system. “Antifa presence in mass protests greatly increases the risk of violence,” two Penn State sociologists, Kerby Goff and John D. McCarthy, concluded. In recent years, left-wing violence has taken place mainly during demonstrations and riots, but there are signs it may be spreading to other venues.

The Dobbs ruling — and warnings of a wider rollback of rights, from same-sex marriages to contraception — have reinforced extremists’ belief that violence is justified as a means to resist an all-out assault by what Jane’s Revenge calls the “forces of evil and destruction.”

In late June, the Department of Homeland Security warned that violent extremists — from both the left and the right — “will likely exploit the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade to intensify violence against a wide range of targets.” 

This creates a risk of tit-for-tat exchanges and reprisals between domestic terrorism groups on opposing ends of the ideological spectrum. For example, when Jane’s Revenge announced a “Night of Rage” in response to Dobbs, right-wing extremists on social media called for a violent response: “Don’t lock and load either. Load then lock.”

The most likely perpetrators of left-wing violence will be small cells or individuals engaging in terror acts driven by their own planning, timing, and means. These perpetrators are likely to be disconnected from formal organizations and effectively leaderless. 

In other words, Antifa-inspired groups will not resort to clandestine armed struggle or become the new Weather Underground. There are hardly any charismatic leaders in contemporary Antifa circles, which usually reject hierarchical chains of command. Furthermore, sooner rather than later, organized terrorist formations would be crushed by authorities.

The real threat consists of unaffiliated lone wolves, who are much harder to detect or surveil. Unlike a group, an individual is not subject to infiltration..

Although right-wing lone wolves have been much greater in number, and better studied, there is a clear tradition of left-wing lone wolf violence in the United States: a gay rights activist attacked the Family Research Council’s headquarters in 2012, an anarchist attacked an ICE detention-center in 2019, and an Antifa supporter murdered a Patriot Prayer member in 2020. 

Last month, a lone gunman attempted to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh — a potentially ominous sign that, for the most part, the mainstream media treated as a run-of-the-mill-incident.

The making of a lone-wolf terrorist of any kind comes from a blending of personal and political motives. Ideology plays a role — would-be lone wolves often immerse themselves in a warrior subculture online and post about their intent to commit violence. 

An extremist mindset does not ensure a resort to violence, however. Something must happen at a psychological level. The individual may develop excessive empathy for a cause, or disproportionate sentiments of anger and resentment toward potential targets; these will push them to shoulder the mission of dealing violently with the alleged source of evil. Lone wolves dehumanize their enemies in a way that facilitates their guilt-free elimination.

“Some people deserve to feel unsafe,” one supporter of left-wing violence tweeted. In the coming months — especially in a political climate full of righteous indignation and inflammatory rhetoric from all sides — both elected leaders and law enforcement officials should prepare for lone wolf terror. 

For left-wing assailants, Republican politicians, conservative personalities, and judges are potential targets. What is more, as we approach midterm elections, campaign stops by politicians may be particularly vulnerable to such incidents. At the diners and state fairs where candidates connect with voters, lone wolves may see opportunity — as indicated by the attempted assault last week on a New York gubernatorial candidate. 

Unlike mass rallies, which are already on law enforcement’s radar, campaign stops are less policed, so they constitute soft targets. In the months ahead, candidates of every stripe should heed the saying, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”