The People's Forum, a well-funded revolutionary organization with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, orchestrates demonstrations demanding the release of pro-Palestine Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil.
According to Just The News, The People's Forum has been instrumental in organizing protests after Khalil's detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) earlier this month, with the Department of Homeland Security citing his alleged leadership in Hamas-aligned activities.
The organization, which previously helped coordinate the Columbia University encampments, has launched multiple rallies, including demonstrations outside a New York City courthouse and Trump Tower. They have also initiated petition campaigns and planned upcoming events featuring anti-Israel celebrities to support Khalil's release.
The People's Forum receives substantial financial backing from Neville Roy Singham, a self-described Marxist businessman who operates from Shanghai. Between 2017 and 2022, Singham and his wife, Jodie Evans, channeled over $20.4 million to the organization through various shell organizations.
The group maintains strong ties with pro-CCP organizations and regularly produces educational materials praising Chinese communism. Their curriculum includes extensive content celebrating Mao Zedong's revolution and contemporary Chinese socialist policies. Financial records reveal the organization's significant resources, with total revenue exceeding $15 million in 2019 and net assets of more than $17 million.
Forum leader Manolo De Los Santos maintains close relationships with Cuban communist officials and regularly collaborates with the Qiao Collective, a pro-CCP media group. The collective's leader stated during a People's Forum event:
As revolutionaries, it is essential to understand China's role in challenging U.S. aggression and building a multipolar world through socialism with Chinese characteristics.
The organization frequently hosts events promoting Chinese government policies while criticizing American foreign policy. They have defended China's actions in Xinjiang and disputed historical accounts of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
The People's Forum's leadership openly celebrated the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. De Los Santos posted multiple social media messages praising the violence as "heroic resistance" and organized supportive demonstrations in Times Square the following day.
In May 2024, De Los Santos emphasized the Palestinian movement's role in their broader anti-imperialist agenda. He has repeatedly used inflammatory rhetoric at rallies, describing Israel as "a U.S. military base" and praising what he terms "glorious resistance" across the Middle East.
The forum actively promotes communist literature through its bookstore, including anti-Israel works, revolutionary texts, and children's coloring books with socialist themes. They sell various communist merchandise, including pins celebrating the Communist Manifesto's 175th anniversary.
Republican lawmakers have initiated multiple investigations into The People's Forum's operations and its connections to China. The House Ways and Means Committee has raised concerns with the IRS about potential foreign influence through tax-exempt organizations.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously alerted the Justice Department about Singham's alleged coordination with the CCP. The House Natural Resources Committee has directly questioned the forum's leader about their political activities and relationship with China. The organization dismisses these investigations as attempts to suppress Palestinian, Muslim-American, and anti-war groups.
The People's Forum continues orchestrating protests supporting Mahmoud Khalil while promoting a pro-CCP, anti-Israel agenda through various channels. Their substantial financial resources, derived primarily from Singham's network, enable them to maintain an influential presence in activist movements across New York City. As federal authorities investigate their ties to foreign entities, the organization remains at the center of contentious debates about campus activism, foreign influence, and political extremism in America.
