Rubio Urges International Counterterrorism Crackdown on the Far-Left

Secretary of State Marco Rubio convened an international gathering focused on rallying support for what he called the Trump administration’s fight against “far-left political terrorism,” describing the threat as a major “blind spot” in the national security strategies of countries around the world.

“The very idea that far-left terrorism could be a serious threat is treated as a right-wing fever dream, or worse, as a dangerous fascist conspiracy,” Rubio said during a speech opening the ministerial on Thursday. “You will no doubt see the dogma rear its head in the coverage of this very conference.”

Rubio claimed this “extraordinary ideological prejudice” has led U.S. authorities to dismiss violence and terrorism “so long as they served a left-wing cause.”

The secretary also claimed leftist groups were increasingly working alongside hostile foreign states, including Cuba and Iran.

“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.

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, FBI Director Kash Patel and Education Secretary Linda McMahon participated in the event hosted by the State Department.

More than 80 countries were invited to the meeting, and representatives from 66 ultimately attended, according to a State Department spokesperson.

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In his remarks, Miller said a “hallmark” of left-wing violence was a “disingenuous appeal to civil liberties” to protect itself.

“This is the tactic that the left always uses to try to protect itself from facing criminal punishment. It is essential that we are wise enough and strong enough to understand that these appeals must fall on deaf ears,” he said.

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He also claimed the decentralized left-wing movement known as antifa had gone global, and that international factions were now drawing from “common networks of funding, organization, and information sharing.”

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