Dear John,

ADL’s new report on Murder and Extremism in the U.S. reveals the continuing threat of violence posed by extremists. White supremacists and other right-wing extremists were linked to most of the 29 extremist-related murders in the United States in 2021 and have been responsible for 75 percent of such murders over the past decade.

The total number of killings by extremists is up from 2020, but still represents a substantial drop-off from the five years prior.

Crime scene image from Denver shooting rampage in December (Getty Images)

According to this annual analysis of extremist murders by the ADL Center on Extremism, the total of 29 killings came from 19 separate incidents and includes killings by Black nationalists and an Islamist extremist — the latter being the first such killing since 2018.

These grim statistics only capture a portion of the landscape of extremist violence and activity. Every year, extremists in the United States are involved in terrorist plots and acts, armed standoffs, shootouts with police, hate crimes, scams and cons, threats and harassment and a wide variety of other criminal acts.

To view the incidents referenced in this report and other extremist activity across the country, visit ADL’s interactive H.E.A.T. Map.

You can read the full Murder and Extremism Report for a full breakout of these deadly attacks, including the horrific December shooting rampage in Denver which added five more deaths to the number of lives taken by incels (‘involuntary celibates’) and other adherents of toxic masculinity, a troubling development.

The report also includes recommendations on how our leaders can take action to reduce this threat. These recommendations include ADL’s PROTECT Plan, which offers a whole of government and whole of society approach to confront domestic terrorism, including actions for federal, state and local officials and the tech industry, as well as a call for every state to enact comprehensive, inclusive hate crime laws. Effective responses to extremist violence by public officials and law enforcement authorities can play an essential role in deterring and preventing these crimes.

Please read the report and continue to speak out, alongside ADL, for much needed action against extremist violence.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Greenblatt

CEO and National Director

ADL