Extremism-related murders in US sharply decreased in 2023, ADL finds

Extremist-related murders in the United States have decreased for the second year in a row, according to data published by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Tuesday.

In the year of 2023, 17 extremist-related murders were recorded across seven different incidents, a drop from the 27 the year before and the 35 recorded in 2021. 

All the 2023 incidents were tied to right-wing extremism, with 88% being tied to white supremacists.

The biggest points of data came from two mass shooting incidents, the Texas mall shooting in May and the Florida store shooting in August, which resulted in 11 of the 17 murders. 

In 94% of the incidents, the method of murder involved the use of a firearm. 

Comments on the statistics

“While a decrease in extremist-related killings is a welcome trend, every single one of these murders is a tragedy,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. “And last year we witnessed mass shootings in Texas and Florida at the hands of avowed white supremacists who took their hatred to the next level. These events, which could have resulted in much higher fatalities had law enforcement not interceded, are a reminder of the still serious threat of far-right violence.”

“Our data shows that, while extremist killings have decreased, the threat of extremist mass shootings has not,” said Oren Segal, Vice President for the ADL Center on Extremism. “The extremist landscape remains complex, and the threat of deadly extremist violence may be even higher this year as many of the issues animating hate and violence can be exacerbated in an election year.”