No Kings protesters: Thanks, but there’s no check in the mail
Rumors are flying like monkeys about the funding behind the No Kings marches on October 18. “George Soros and other billionaires spent $300M and paid the protesters” heads the list. Oh, and communists. If you’re going to start pointing fingers in America, you can’t leave out communists. Why claim our protesters are paid? To spread the notion that the protests reflect greed, not authentic public distress.
Sorry, not sorry: Our protesters are not and never have been paid. We all show up because we love our country and hate what it’s turning into, period.
Billionaires did not spend $300M on No Kings protests.
Social media posts claim that George Soros, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates and other billionaires funded the No Kings movement to the tune of nearly $300M. There’s even a chart! Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna hinted (with a winking emoji) that billionaire backers mean that organizers have falsely represented No Kings as an organic, grassroots movement.
Per No Kings’ national spokesperson: “No Kings is not an organization, nor is it a formal entity that can accept donations.”
The Government Accountability Institute appears to have started the rumor. This conservative think tank was founded by Peter Schweizer and Steve Bannon, both with ties to Breitbart News—which is known for spreading falsehoods.
George Soros’ foundation has supported Indivisible. It doesn’t pay protesters.
Yes, George Soros’ Open Society Foundations (OSF) have given money to the national Indivisible organization, as have other philanthropic entities. Here are the facts:
- OSF gave the national Indivisible organization, the primary organizer of No Kings protests, a $3 million grant in 2023. OSF is one of the national Indivisible organization’s largest consistent funders, having awarded $7.61M in grants between 2017 and 2023.
- According to OSF’s website, the organization doesn’t “pay, train, coordinate protesters.”
- OSF told Fox News that the organization supports organizations “that work to deepen civic engagement through peaceful democratic participation.”
- OSF funded the Indivisible national organization, not Indivisible Asheville! IAVL has received micro grants from the national organization and but is almost entirely funded by local supporters’ donations.
Now, about the communists…
Conservative outlets claimed the Communist Party USA (CPUSA) sponsored the protests. The facts:
- CPUSA was listed among endorsers/supporters of a few local No Kings events, mostly in New York. Endorsing is not the same as hosting or organizing.
- Mainstream reporting did not list CPUSA as an organizer.
- CPUSA co-chair Jim Sims said that the organization did not host the demonstration.
Even if we had the money, we wouldn’t pay you.
We could say we wish we could pay you—but that wouldn’t be true. The No Kings protests, including every last message on every sign we all wrote by hand, come from our hearts, and yours, and that’s as it should be. (Snopes, Legal Explained Substack)