Anarchist terrorism

Anarchist terrorism is the use of terrorism to further anarchist causes. Anarchists have often been portrayed as dangerous and violent, due mainly to a number of high-profile violent acts including riots, assassinations, and insurrections involving anarchists. Some revolutionaries of the late 19th century encouraged acts of political violence, such as bombings and the assassinations of heads of state to further anarchism. Such actions have sometimes been called 'propaganda by the deed'.

Between 1894 and 1901, individual anarchists assassinated numerous heads of state. For example, US President McKinley's assassin, Leon Czolgosz, (a registered Republican who had never belonged to any Anarchist organization) claimed to have been influenced by Emma Goldman - although Goldman disavowed any association with him. Because international terrorism arose during this time period with the widespread distribution of dynamite, bombings were associated with anarchists, an image that remains to this day. Depictions in the press and popular fiction helped create a lasting public impression that anarchists are violent terrorists. This perception was enhanced by events such as the Haymarket Riot, where anarchists were blamed for throwing a bomb at police who came to break up a public meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

The use of terrorism and assassination, however, is condemned by most anarchists. Even anarchists who see acts of violence as justified in a context of insurrection and class war would often view individual acts of terrorism as ineffective and counter-productive.