China Funding Claims Cast Shadow Over Pro-Palestinian Marches in Britain
Claims of Chinese-linked funding are reportedly driving pro-Palestinian marches and a broader network of anti-US activism, which has now extended to protests against data centers. Activists from CodePink circulated a video attacking a Utah data center project backed by investor Kevin O'Leary, highlighting a pattern of coordinated activism across various causes. This specific data center incident is presented as a 'data point' in a larger investigation into alleged 'dark money' networks and geopolitical messaging.
Claims of Chinese-linked funding are reportedly driving pro-Palestinian marches in Britain, raising questions about the organization behind various anti-war and anti-US activism. Neville Roy Singham, an American-born tech tycoon residing in Shanghai, is at the center of allegations involving a "dark money" network that funnels funds through donor-advised vehicles and shell companies. This network is believed to tie together diverse activist coalitions, enabling swift mobilization across different themes, including anti-Israel rallies, Iran campaigns, and climate change protests, all unified by hostility toward the United States and its allies.
According to Zineb Riboua, a fellow at the Hudson Institute, an anti-American sentiment is increasingly uniting climate activists, anti-Israel protesters, and other previously distinct movements. She highlighted a 2024 New York City rally where climate activists joined anti-Israel protesters under the banner "Climate Justice Means Free Palestine," and cited Greta Thunberg's involvement in a Gaza protest flotilla.
The scope of this activism has expanded to include the tech sector. Recently, activists from CodePink, a group previously involved in rallying for Iran and the Cuba Communist Party, circulated an Instagram video attacking a data center project in Utah. This project is notably backed by investor Kevin O'Leary, with the incident presented as another instance of the same activist networks resurfacing under different banners.
A May 2024 report by the Network Contagion Research Institute further linked key organizers of the "Shut It Down For Palestine" coalition, such as the ANSWER Coalition and The People’s Forum, to financial, personal, and ideological ties with Singham and Jodie Evans, co-founder of CodePink. Governments and security analysts are concerned not only by the street protests but also by the rapid coordination and the way various causes are integrated into broader geopolitical messaging, described as a form of cognitive warfare.