Secretary of State Marco Rubio put the world on notice Thursday: Violent far-left terrorism is real, spreading across borders and no longer entitled to a free pass.
Rubio delivered the warning as representatives from roughly 65 countries gathered at the State Department for a ministerial focused on what the Trump administration calls the resurgence of political terrorism.
“You are here because this is real and it is getting worse, and it can no longer be denied, and it can no longer be ignored,” Rubio said.
“It is time to crush this evil forever.”
Rubio urged governments to treat violent far-left networks as a global counterterrorism problem, not a collection of isolated domestic disturbances.
“It’s time for people of the civilized world to defend themselves,” he said.
The ministerial marked the culmination of an eight-month diplomatic campaign to convince foreign governments that violent left-wing groups are increasingly operating across national borders.
Rubio said those networks exchange training materials, communicate through encrypted channels, move money internationally and use safe houses. He also alleged that some work with hostile foreign governments.
“Today we face a new wave of this old evil here in the United States,” Rubio said. “The share of left-wing terrorist attacks and plots has risen to levels not seen in decades.”
Rubio argued that governments cannot wait for such networks to become more organized or deadly.
He announced that the State Department is preparing additional foreign terrorist organization designations, expanding a campaign that began with four European groups in November 2025.
Those organizations are Germany’s Antifa Ost, Italy’s Informal Anarchist Federation/International Revolutionary Front and two Greek groups, Armed Proletarian Justice and Revolutionary Class Self-Defense.
The State Department accused the groups of using Marxist or anarchist ideologies to justify bombings, shootings and coordinated assaults.
Watch the clips below:
NEW: Secretary of State Marco Rubio issues a bone-chilling warning to officials from over 60 countries, detailing horrific firebombings and fatal blackouts as the State Department launches a global coalition to combat far-left political terrorism.
"You are here because this is… pic.twitter.com/yzGKhZu71p
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 16, 2026
BREAKING: Secretary of State Marco Rubio sends a direct warning on the "blind spot" plaguing American counterterrorism when it comes to addressing far-left extremist violence.
Rubio targeted the mainstream press, academia, and legacy institutions, calling out those who dismiss… pic.twitter.com/Lrbss4DEPG
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 16, 2026
