Violent Gaslighting: Far-right actors commit violence and blame the far left

America has a political violence problem, but the story we’re told about it is upside down. While far-right extremists pull the trigger, plant the bombs, and rack up the body count, the blame gets dumped on the so-called “radical left.”

It’s projection turned into propaganda, a deadly shell game where the real killers get to cry victim while their targets are painted as the threat.

This meme is using the Eric Andre Show “Who killed Hannibal?” format to satirize political blame-shifting.

In the first panel, the “Far-right Extremists” character literally shoots another “Far-right Extremists” character. In the second panel, instead of acknowledging responsibility, the shooter turns to the camera and declares, “The far left is attacking us.”

The joke is about projection: far-right actors committing violence but blaming the far left. This isn’t just meme hyperbole—there’s real-world data that backs up the imbalance. Multiple independent studies (Brookings, the University of Maryland’s START project, Reuters investigations) have shown that in the U.S. most fatal politically motivated attacks in recent years have come from the far right, not the far left. Yet politically, the narrative often flips, with accusations that “antifa” or the “radical left” are the main threat.

So the meme is exaggerating for comedic effect, but its point—that far-right extremists often blame the left for violence they themselves commit—lines up with what researchers have documented.

It’s a bit of dark comedy, but it also points to a serious issue: when groups externalize blame, it prevents society from honestly addressing where the real risks come from. This kind of denial has historical echoes, like regimes blaming “enemies within” while engaging in the very acts they accuse others of.

The data aren’t perfect, but they lean pretty strongly toward the meme’s implication: far-right violence is the more frequent/extreme threat in recent years in the U.S.

What the data says

1. ADL (Anti-Defamation League) reports
   • In 2023, all extremist-related murders in the U.S. were linked to what the ADL classifies as far-right extremism. Axios
   • In 2024, every extremist-related killing (13 known) was also tied to far-right extremism, including white supremacists, anti-government extremists, etc. WaterISAC
   • White supremacists were responsible for over 80% of extremist-related murders in 2022. House Document Repository
2. CSIS / START / Government Data on Terrorism & Extremism
   • CSIS (Center for Strategic & International Studies): in 2019, right-wing extremists committed nearly two-thirds of U.S. “terrorist attacks and plots.” Between Jan-May 2020 the share was above 90%. CSIS
   • A 2021 CSIS/other data set showed that extremism cases rising overall; “white supremacists, anti-government militias, and like-minded extremists” make up the largest share. CSIS
3. Comparative Studies (Left vs Right Extremists)
   • A peer-reviewed study “A Comparison of Political Violence by Left-wing, Right-wing, and Islamist Extremists” (START / UMD) finds that globally and in the U.S., right-wing extremists commit more killings than left-wing. UMD Start+2UMD Start+2
   • The Economist recently looked at whether “radical-left violence” is rising, but their data confirm that in the last few years the vast majority of extremist killings are still tied to far-right actors. The Economist

Caveats & Uncertainties

• Definition issues: What counts as “extremist,” “political violence,” “far-left,” “far-right” varies across datasets. Sometimes “left-wing extremist” is narrowly defined, which may undercount some radical actors.
• Underreporting: Not all incidents are reported publicly or clearly categorized. Some might be misattributed or ambiguous.
• Motivation ambiguity: Many violent acts are mixed/multiple motivation (mental illness, personal grievance plus political rhetoric). It’s not always clear actor ideology is primary.
• Temporal lags: Data often lags a year or more; what we have for 2025 is partial. Trends may change.

Bottom Line

Based on what’s available:

• In recent years (2022-2024), all or nearly all extremist-murder events recorded in the U.S. have involved far-right extremism (white supremacists, anti-government ideologies, etc.).
• Acts of violence from the far left are much less frequent (in terms of extremist murders).
• The meme’s claim — that far-right extremists often commit violence and then blame the far left — is consistent with how the data show that far-right violence is the primary issue (at least for homicides tied to extremist ideology).

In the end, the meme isn’t just a joke, it’s a mirror. It highlights how far-right extremists manufacture scapegoats while their own side is statistically responsible for the bulk of politically motivated killings in America.

The numbers don’t lie: again and again, independent research shows that the far-right has been the dominant source of extremist violence. Pretending otherwise only blinds the public to where the real danger lies.

Until the country faces that reality, we’ll keep seeing the same absurd blame game play out, violent actors pointing the gun, pulling the trigger, and then insisting someone else is holding the weapon.

So what can people do about it? Stop pretending both sides are the same. Stop letting extremists gaslight the country with lies about “antifa mobs” while their own side racks up the body count.

Call it what it is every single time: far-right terrorism. No more polite euphemisms, no more “lone wolf” excuses. Expose them, shame them, prosecute them, crush their networks, and starve them of oxygen.

The only way to deal with violent extremism is to drag it into the light and break it before it breaks democracy.

We have a choice. Either we allow the liars to get away with lying that is tearing our country apart, or we call them out and hold them accountable for their lies.

Is the truth important to you?