A tempest brews in Los Angeles as questions swirl around the potential influence of Chinese funding in the recent riots protesting immigration enforcement.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the agency is delving into the financial underpinnings of these disturbances, a response to escalating suspicions regarding Chinese involvement in the unrest.
“The FBI is scrutinizing all monetary ties that may be fueling these riots,” Patel conveyed to The Epoch Times, amidst rising concerns about foreign influence exacerbating domestic discord.
One notable player in this political drama is the Party for Socialism and Liberation, a communist entity tied to networks financed by Neville Roy Singham, a tech magnate with pro-Beijing inclinations.
This organization has taken to social media platform X to depict the arrests of undocumented immigrants as a “war against immigrant communities,” accusing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) of “kidnapping our neighbors, friends, and families.”
Additionally, The People’s Forum, another Singham-funded group based in Manhattan, has aligned itself closely with the Party for Socialism and Liberation, advocating for the Chinese regime’s narrative.
Manolo De Los Santos, co-executive director of The People’s Forum, has voiced admiration for China’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The organization has hosted events lauding the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as undergoing a transformative “decades-long epic battle” that has reshaped both China and the world, as noted in a recent description on X.
Both organizations have been actively cross-promoting solidarity with the rioters, calling for further protests. On June 10, The People’s Forum urged supporters to gather in Manhattan’s Foley Square at 5 p.m., demanding that ICE “get out of [their] communities.” Event endorsements included the Party for Socialism and Liberation and CODEPINK, an anti-war activist group co-founded by Singham’s wife, Jodie Evans.
Evans initiated a campaign titled “China Is Not Our Enemy” through CODEPINK in 2020 and is also a contributor to The China Academy, a platform that collaborates with Chinese state media to amplify Beijing’s narratives. Notably, a member of her group disrupted a hearing of the House Select Committee on the CCP, brandishing a banner that proclaimed, “China is not our enemy.”
In July 2023, Singham participated in a Chinese propaganda forum in Shanghai, sitting next to a speaker from the Marxism School at Fudan University, jotting notes as the event unfolded, as evidenced by photographs from the university.
The People’s Forum has been transparent about its funding sources and ideological leanings, asserting, “We have nothing to hide and are proud of what we’ve built.” They openly express their alignment with various causes, including support for Palestine and opposition to U.S. military actions against Russia and China, as highlighted in a January 2024 Instagram post.
Additionally, the New York nonprofit has hosted Sheila Xiao, a member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, to promote her book on China’s socialist evolution and conduct a lecture series on the topic. Notably, Claudia De la Cruz, a co-founder of the forum, ran as the Party for Socialism and Liberation candidate for president in 2024.
The growing attention to these organizations’ Chinese connections has not gone unnoticed in Congress. In April, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) called on Attorney General Pam Bondi and Patel to evaluate whether The People’s Forum and CODEPINK should register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act due to their alleged ties to Beijing.
On June 10, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) announced that the House Oversight Committee, on which she serves, would formally request documents from Singham regarding “his funding of a communist group linked to the LA riots and the CCP.” She threatened that failure to comply could lead to a subpoena, and ignoring that could result in a referral to the Department of Justice for prosecution.
The Epoch Times has reached out to Singham, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, The People’s Forum, and CODEPINK for their perspectives on these developments.
While CODEPINK did not respond directly to the inquiry from The Epoch Times, they did react to Luna’s comments, asserting that she is using her position to “libel our organization and threaten our right to free speech.” They announced plans to file an ethics complaint against her.
In a twist worthy of a soap opera, Luna later reported that CODEPINK activists had visited her office, demanding an apology.
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