Suspicion in Britain: Chinese money behind pro-Palestinian "Code Pink" protests
A British investigation and a US Congressional inquiry are examining money transfers to entities linked to "Code Pink," which led pro-Palestinian protests in Britain. The suspicion: a network linked to a businessman identified with China helped fund the activity.
China is suspected of funding pro-Palestinian marches and demonstrations across Britain, as revealed in an in-depth investigation by the British "Telegraph." According to the report, politicians in the United States investigating alleged secret Chinese support for the organization "Code Pink" — a feminist protest group identified with the radical left and founded in the US — are now examining the organization's activity in the United Kingdom as well, as part of a broader investigation into foreign interference.
The "Code Pink" organization recently led a series of protests in Britain against the country's involvement in what they call "the genocide in Gaza." The organization encouraged its activists to demonstrate outside Royal Air Force bases and even published blunt statements claiming that Britain's leaders were "bought by Zionism." The current investigation is taking place against the backdrop of growing concern in the West that Beijing is trying to exploit explosive social issues to deepen social divisions and conduct propaganda and political warfare against its rivals.
Money trail: a quarter of a million pounds and ties to the Communist Party
An investigation by the US Congress is checking money transfers totaling 250,000 pounds to a company linked to "Code Pink" in Britain. These funds, according to the suspicion, came from companies linked to Neville Roy Singham, a tech tycoon accused of funding Chinese propaganda around the world. Jason Smith, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, told the "Telegraph" that "it is clear from the investigation that Singham's money and influence do not stop at America's borders. The committee is well aware that his funding supports pro-Hamas and pro-communist goals not only in the United States, but also overseas."
A source in Congress added that investigators are aware of the alleged Chinese funding of groups in Britain and that it is being actively investigated. The American branch of "Code Pink" received millions of dollars from Singham, who is facing several investigations surrounding allegations that his network produced pro-Chinese propaganda. The Congressional committee claimed that "Code Pink," founded by Jodie Evans, Singham's wife, appears to have been "funded and influenced by Mr. Singham and the communist Chinese government."
In 2020 and 2021, a British company with ties to "Code Pink" received more than 250,000 dollars from organizations that allegedly operate within Singham's network. In 2024, the company received an additional 94,950 dollars from the People's Support Foundation, another organization suspected of being part of the network. Suzie Gilbert, one of the movement's senior campaign organizers in Britain who works, among other things, to close British military bases abroad, denied that she is taking part in any "propaganda campaign" on behalf of Beijing.
Tangible danger to British and Western democracy
The group has strongly condemned the British government's support for Israel and has previously received support from figures such as Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the Labour Party. A US State Department official recently noted that the organization "stirs up against the interests of the US and our allies alike," and called for the dismantling of NATO while its coffers are filled with money from a network of donors linked to the Chinese Communist Party.
The allegations led a series of members of parliament in Britain to call on the authorities to urgently investigate the network. Sarah Champion, a Labour MP, called for presenting a "united front with the US and showing zero tolerance." Alicia Kearns, a Conservative MP, warned that the threat from the Chinese Communist Party is not abstract, and demanded that the government prosecute unregistered foreign agents. The Shadow Foreign Secretary, Priti Patel, added that the Communist Party sows division and instability by backing protests under a grassroots guise.
Sweeping denials alongside a federal investigation and foreign reports
Senator Chuck Grassley, chairman of the US Senate Judiciary Committee, raised concerns about the organization to the Department of Justice, which opened a federal grand jury investigation regarding Singham's ties to China. According to an investigation by the "New York Times," in 2023 Singham participated in a workshop of the Chinese Communist Party on the subject of promoting the party in the international arena. He even shares an office in Shanghai with a company linked to the Chinese government. Singham, who sold his technology company in 2017, has previously denied entirely that he acts on behalf of China or any government entity.
Medea Benjamin, co-founder of "Code Pink," told the "Washington Times" that the organization does not receive funds from the Chinese Communist Party, and defined the allegations as a "gross lie." At the same time, a British government spokesperson clarified that the government's first duty is to protect national security and democratic institutions from state-backed threats. Previous studies, such as a 2021 report by Cardiff University, have already pointed out that social media accounts linked to China spread calls for violence and encouraged unrest in rival countries, which illustrates the enormous potential damage of foreign interference playing on public sentiment under the guise of human rights.
