The Same Wealthy Activist Network Behind Pro-Palestinian Rallies Is Now Manufacturing “Hands Off Venezuela” Protests Through The People’s Forum
In the immediate aftermath of the U.S. capture of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, “Hands Off Venezuela” protests popped up in New York City and other states — but evidence shows these demonstrations were not spontaneous grassroots expressions of public expression. Instead, investigators and journalists say they were organized and financially supported by a coordinated activist network funded by Neville Roy Singham and his wife, Jodie Evans — the same figures behind The People’s Forum whose money has helped drive controversial protests from pro-Palestinian demonstrations to anti-U.S. rallies.
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Paid, Planned, And Organized — Not Organic Outrage
Within hours of news breaking that U.S. forces had taken Maduro into custody, protest organizers were already mobilizing demonstrators in Times Square and elsewhere — complete with printed signs and coordinated messaging that appeared across multiple cities. Observers noted that the uniformity of signage, slogans, and rapid messaging rollout strongly suggests preparation rather than spontaneous public response.
Investigations into The People’s Forum — a self-described “movement incubator” that helped organize these protest events alongside groups such as Code Pink, ANSWER Coalition, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation — show deep financial ties to wealthy backers rather than the Venezuelan diaspora or everyday Americans.
The Billionaire Backers Behind The Protests
Neville Roy Singham — a U.S.-born tech entrepreneur now living in Shanghai, China — and his wife, Jodie Evans, are the primary sources of funding for The People’s Forum. Public disclosures show the couple has donated more than $20 million to the organization through donor-advised funds and shell entities over the past decade, accounting for much of its revenue.
Singham built his wealth selling the IT firm Thoughtworks for hundreds of millions of dollars and has since made political activism his chief pursuit. Evans, a co-founder of radical group Code Pink, brings longstanding ties to leftist activism in the U.S. These funds have not only supported The People’s Forum but have flowed into allied organizations that turn up at high-profile protest events.
From Pro-Palestinian Rallies To Manufactured Venezuela Outrage
This is not the first time Singham-funded networks have catalyzed major demonstrations. After Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, The People’s Forum was a central organizer of pro-Palestinian protests in New York and elsewhere — even staging events just one day after the massacre.
Critics noted that those rallies did not emerge organically from local communities but were part of a broader pattern of externally financed activism designed to influence public opinion and sow discord. Now, the same machinery appears to have sprung into action around Venezuela’s political crisis.
A Network, Not a Movement
The speed and consistency with which protests were organized — before even clear public consensus could form — underscores that these events were less about Venezuelan justice or American principle and more about promoting an ideological narrative. Evidence from tax records, investigative reporting, and congressional scrutiny shows that these organizations function as interlinked nodes of a well-funded activist ecosystem, one that can mobilize street action on demand.
One analyst noted that the protests were “quickly organized by a Marxist revolutionary group” with support from a network of allied organizations — hardly the sign of a spontaneous, authentic public outpouring.
What This Says About American Protest Culture
Americans expect protests to be expressions of genuine societal concerns — real people rising up to have their voices heard. But when powerful donors and their allied activist networks can manufacture those protests with preprinted slogans and coordinated messaging, the line between authentic public sentiment and paid political theater blurs.
That matters. Because when demonstrations are bought instead of born, they stop being a healthy part of civic life and start looking like instruments of ideological influence. In this case, the architects of these protests appear less interested in Venezuelan lives and more invested in pushing anti-America narratives that resonate with a global political agenda funded by far-left elites.
