U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed international
leaders, warning that far-left terrorism represents, in his view, a growing
threat to the security and stability of various countries. During his remarks,
he maintained that this type of political violence is not a recent phenomenon
or a narrative promoted by certain political sectors, but rather a problem
that, he asserted, has been present for decades and requires a firm response
from the international community.
Rubio began his message by referencing a case in Greece,
where, he explained, a 72-year-old woman died after suffering severe burns from
an incendiary bomb thrown at her home. According to his account, the attack was
related to the political involvement of the victim's daughter, who had decided
to run for public office. The official used this incident to illustrate what he
described as an escalation of ideologically motivated violence.
In his speech, the Secretary of State affirmed that far-left
terrorism has been, throughout various periods of contemporary history, one of
the main expressions of political violence. In that regard, he rejected the
idea that it is an exaggerated threat or one created for partisan purposes,
arguing that there is historical precedent and recent events that, from his
perspective, demonstrate the seriousness of the problem.
Rubio also referred to a blackout in Berlin, noting that the
five-day power outage was the result of a deliberate attack on critical
infrastructure. He explained that the incident left tens of thousands of homes
without electricity in the middle of winter and contributed to the death of an
83-year-old woman, becoming, in his words, the longest blackout the German
capital has suffered since the end of World War II.
He also mentioned another incident that occurred in the
French city of Lyon, where, according to him, a 23-year-old man lost his life
after being attacked by a group of alleged far-left militants. Rubio maintained
that this case reflects the increase in acts of political violence directed
against citizens, as well as the growing radicalization of certain groups.
The U.S. official also asserted that, in various countries,
political leaders have been the target of attacks, private companies have
suffered bombings, railway networks have been the target of sabotage, and
members of the security forces have been injured during attacks attributed to
extremist groups. In his opinion, these events demonstrate a pattern of
violence that transcends national borders and requires a joint strategy among
governments.
Finally, Marco Rubio called on the representatives present
to strengthen international cooperation in security, intelligence, and
combating violent extremism. He argued that, from his perspective, the threat
is real and expanding, and therefore considered it essential to adopt
coordinated measures to prevent further attacks and protect democratic
institutions.