Is right-wing terrorism on the rise in the West?

ON MARCH 15th a gunman opened fire inside two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, killing at least 50 people and injuring 50 more. In a 74-page manifesto entitled “The Great Replacement”, the 28-year-old Australian perpetrator said he was furious that “European lands” were being taken over by non-white immigrants. The attack comes less than six months after a gunman shot and killed 11 people at a synagogue in Pittsburgh in the United States.

Is far-right terrorism on the rise in the West? It is hard to be sure. Only the most extreme forms of violence, such as murders, are reliably reported to the police. Perpetrators’ motives are not always clear. And defining terrorism is hard. Not every racist murder is intended to spread fear for political purposes.