UK, US both said probing alleged ties between China and an anti-Israel protest group

www.timesofisrael.com/uk-us-both-said-probing-alleged-ties-between-china-and-an-anti-israel-protest-group/

Telegraph report says Code Pink suspected of receiving funds from a Beijing-backed tech tycoon to stage pro-Palestinian demonstrations

The United States and United Kingdom are both investigating alleged ties between China and a pro-Palestinian protest group, according to a recent report in The Telegraph, after an earlier story in the UK paper revealed that far-left feminist organization Code Pink is suspected of receiving funds from Beijing to stage anti-Israel protests in Britain.

Code Pink has staged dozens of protests in the UK and US since the war in Gaza began with the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attacks. Its website says it supports “Palestinians’ right to resist the violent Israeli occupation of Palestine,” and that it is “committed to supporting Palestinian liberation from abroad.”

According to The Telegraph, the UK’s Home Office’s probe into the group’s funding is part of a larger investigation into foreign influence and interference in Britain. The paper said that the probe comes amid concern in London that Beijing is looking to deepen societal tensions and wage “political warfare” in the country.

Code Pink is suspected of receiving 250,000 British pounds ($338,000) from a company connected to a China-based British tech tycoon named Neville Roy Singham, who has previously been accused of funding Chinese propaganda, the report said, though he has consistently denied such allegations. Singham is married to Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans.

Commenting on the probe, an unnamed government spokesperson said: “The first duty of government is to protect our national security. That is why we have brought forward some of the most robust measures to defend our country and democracy from state-backed threats.”

“Protecting the UK’s democracy and democratic institutions is fundamental to our national security, and we will continue to take whatever action is necessary to safeguard them,” the spokesperson added.

Protesters hold up banners, flags and placards as they walk along the Embankment by the River Thames during an anti-Israel demonstration, in London, January 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

The US is also looking into the allegations, the report said.

The US probe is being conducted by a congressional committee alongside the Justice Department, the report said, and is looking into whether Singham “used his money to spread pro-China propaganda and advance the interests of Beijing.”

Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin speaks to the media after being removed from the White House Correspondents Dinner, April 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert)

The report quoted Congressional Ways and Means Committee chairman Jason Smith, a Republican from Missouri, as saying that “it’s clear from the investigation that Singham’s money and influence does not stop at America’s borders.”

“The committee is well aware that Singham’s funding is supporting pro-Hamas and pro-communist causes not only in the United States, but also overseas, including in the United Kingdom,” Smith said.

According to the report, the Justice Department has launched a federal grand jury investigation into Singham’s alleged ties to China and pro-Palestinian protest groups.

Both the UK and US have seen a surge in anti-Israeli protests as well as antisemitic sentiment since the war in Gaza began in 2023.