The Silent Rise of the Left-Wing Militia
By The Program on Extremism at The George Washington University
At a time in which violent Left Wing extremism is seeing a massive surge, this report sheds light on how armed, organized left-wing militias have quietly emerged across the U.S., often overlooked or mischaracterized by law enforcement, policymakers, and the media.
Drawing on thousands of court records, open-source videos, social media pages, manifestos, and more, the report profiles four prominent groups:
Redneck Revolt / John Brown Gun Clubs
The Socialist Rifle Association
The Not Fucking Around Coalition (NFAC)
The Huey P. Newton Gun Club / Guerilla Mainframe / Geronimo Tactical
These groups are armed, ideologically driven, and increasingly well-organized - championing causes from anti-fascism and Black nationalism to anti-capitalism. Many boast high levels of veteran involvement and adopt military-style recruitment tactics aimed at active-duty service members and former personnel.
Key findings include:
Left-wing militias are largely absent from federal extremism frameworks, allowing them to operate with less scrutiny than their right-wing counterparts.
Their rise correlates with high-profile flashpoints like the Ferguson protests and the 2016 election of Donald Trump.
They are highly active online, often with little-to-no content moderation, cultivating large digital followings across platforms like TikTok, Reddit, Instagram, and X.
While less violent overall, these groups glorify attacks by ideological allies and exhibit many of the same behaviors seen in right-wing militia ecosystems.
The Silent Rise of the Left-Wing Militia examines an underexplored and rapidly growing element of the domestic extremist landscape, at a time of rampant political violence across the ideological spectrum and urges policymakers, analysts, and the public to confront a rapidly evolving militia landscape without ideological blinders.
Washington, DC: The Program on Extremism at The George Washington University , 2025. 78p.