Some of Those Pro-Palestine Protests Are Co-Organized by a Wealthy American Marxist Living in China
If you were thinking that those large pro-Palestine protests popping up everywhere seem awfully organized, you’re not wrong. Today the Free Press points out that at least four rallies, including one in New York which was later denounced as too extreme by AOC, were co-organized by a group called The People’s Forum
Based in Midtown Manhattan, The People’s Forum calls itself a “movement incubator for working class and marginalized communities to build unity across historic lines of division at home and abroad.” But a review of public disclosure forms show that multimillionaire [Neville Roy] Singham and his wife [Jodie] Evans have donated over $20.4 million to The People’s Forum from 2017 to 2022 through a series of shell organizations and donor advisory groups—accounting for nearly all of the group’s funding.
Singham’s wealth stems from Thoughtworks, a software consulting company that he launched in 1993 in Chicago and sold in August 2017 to private equity firm Apax Partnersfor $785 million…
At its multiroom modern headquarters in Midtown, which anyone can visit, The People’s Forum hosts classes like “Lenin and the Path to Revolution,” praising countries like China and Cuba that have “smash[ed] the shackles of Western imperialism,” as well as seminars like “Healthcare Under Siege and Apartheid,” blaming Israel for “discriminatory policies” and “genocide” in Gaza…
For now, the People’s Forum is focusing on its pro-Palestinian agenda, calling for “more marches, walk-outs, sit-ins, and other forms of direct action directed at the political offices, businesses, and workplaces that fund, invest, and collaborate with Israeli genocide and occupation.” The next protest co-organized by the forum, called “Shut It Down for Palestine,” is taking place November 17 in at least 18 locations across the world including Copenhagen, New York City, Idaho, and Iowa.
Here’s the photo of Singham and his wife that accompanies the Free Press story.
The People’s Forum itself has described Singham as a “Marxist comrade.”
In addition to funding rallies for Palestine, Singham’s main fixation seems to be with China. In August the NY Times did a story about his work spreading pro-China PR.
…a New York Times investigation found, it is part of a lavishly funded influence campaign that defends China and pushes its propaganda. At the center is a charismatic American millionaire, Neville Roy Singham, who is known as a socialist benefactor of far-left causes.
What is less known, and is hidden amid a tangle of nonprofit groups and shell companies, is that Mr. Singham works closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide.
From a think tank in Massachusetts to an event space in Manhattan, from a political party in South Africa to news organizations in India and Brazil, The Times tracked hundreds of millions of dollars to groups linked to Mr. Singham that mix progressive advocacy with Chinese government talking points…
Mr. Singham, 69, himself sits in Shanghai, where one outlet in his network is co-producing a YouTube show financed in part by the city’s propaganda department. Two others are working with a Chinese university to “spread China’s voice to the world.” And last month, Mr. Singham joined a Communist Party workshop about promoting the party internationally.
Singham has denied taking any direction from China but the Times notes that he shares office space and staff with a company created to educate foreigners about “the miracles that China has created on the world stage.”
None of Mr. Singham’s nonprofits have registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, as is required of groups that seek to influence public opinion on behalf of foreign powers. That usually applies to groups taking money or orders from foreign governments. Legal experts said Mr. Singham’s network was an unusual case.
After the Times‘ profile, Sen. Marco Rubio sent a letter to AG Garland asking him to investigate Singham’s nonprofits.
Dear Attorney General Garland:
I write to express my concern over certain far-left organizations that are reportedly tied to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and operating with impunity in the United States. Combatting Beijing’s malign influence must be a key objective for the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). Unfortunately, it appears the DOJ is either unaware or ambivalent to this growing threat.
It appears that organizations tied to Neville Roy Singham, a U.S. citizen, have been receiving direction from the CCP. Mr. Singham is the founder of Thoughtworks, a Chicago-based software consultancy, and for many years, promoted far-left causes. Mr. Singham reportedly created a dark money system that allows him to send funds to a number of far-left organizations. At the core are a series of non-profits, such as the “United Community Fund” and “Justice and Education Fund,” that have almost no real-world footprints, listing their addresses only as UPS store mailboxes in Illinois, Wisconsin, and New York. According to the New York Times, reporters, “tracked hundreds of millions of dollars to groups linked to Mr. Singham that mix progressive advocacy with Chinese government talking points.
The People’s Forum was one of 9 organizations Rubio’s letter linked to Singham. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if AG Garland gets on that with anything close to the speed with which he agreed to investigate parents showing up at school board meetings.
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