far left
Definition
Far left refers to political positions at the radical end of the left of the ideological spectrum, typically marked by rejection of capitalism, support for revolutionary socialism or communism, and anti-imperialist commitments. When such beliefs are used to endorse or justify violence, they are usually described as far-left extremism.
In research published in Advances in Psychology, far left appears as one of several ideological fragments that young people combine in salad bar extremism, which Singaporean authorities term Composite Violent Extremism (CoVE). In the first Singaporean case, a 14-year-old male radicalized online supported socialism and communism, rejected capitalism as a "Jewish ideology," and consumed far-left content framed as anti-Zionist and anti-imperialist, alongside ISIS and Al Qaeda sympathies, far-right antisemitism, incel grievances and True Crime Community material. Security officials judged his grasp of both far-left and far-right concepts to be shallow and noted that he endorsed seemingly conflicting parts of each. Read through the 3N framework of Narratives, Networks and Needs, such far-left elements are selected after the youth is already drawn to violence by a need to restore lost significance following bullying or romantic rejection, so the ideology works as a justification rather than a starting point.
Sources: Ramakrishna & Yeo (2026)
Related Terms
- networks (1 shared article)
- salad bar extremism (1 shared article)
- nihilistic violent extremism (1 shared article)
- narratives (1 shared article)
- needs (1 shared article)
- accelerationist (1 shared article)
- composite violent extremism (1 shared article)
- Islamist (1 shared article)
- far right (1 shared article)
- true crime community (1 shared article)
Applications
Far Left and Salad Bar Extremism
Far-left ideas are documented as one component of the ideological mix in Singapore's first salad bar, or Composite Violent Extremism, case, where the youth's grasp of far-left concepts was judged shallow. The ideological blend is interpreted as legitimizing violence the youth already wanted to commit, which leads the authors to recommend prevention that builds youth resilience rather than disputing particular ideologies.
Sources: Ramakrishna & Yeo (2026)
Far Left and Far Right
In Case X, far-left support for socialism and communism coexisted with far-right extremist ideologies that exposed the youth to violent antisemitic ideas. Authorities assessed his understanding of both sets of concepts as shallow and observed that he supported seemingly conflicting aspects of them.
Sources: Ramakrishna & Yeo (2026)
Far Left and Antisemitism
The far-left content consumed by the 14-year-old in Case X was described as anti-Zionist and anti-imperialist, and he rejected capitalism on the grounds that it was a "Jewish ideology". Alongside this, far-right sources exposed him to violent antisemitic ideas.
Sources: Ramakrishna & Yeo (2026)
