
Pulling the strings: the hidden players behind the hate marches on Britain’s streets
I'm Jonathan SacerdotiShow Notes
The vast demonstrations that filled Britain’s streets after 7 October 2023 have shaped politics, policing, Jewish life and public debate for nearly three years. Their scale gave them authority. Their repetition gave their slogans extraordinary reach. Their organisational structure deserves the same scrutiny routinely applied to every other force seeking to influence British public life. Behind the crowds sits an infrastructure of campaign groups, funding networks, organisers, political activists and international connections. Questions about who pays for that infrastructure, who coordinates it and what regulation applies to it go directly to the integrity of democratic politics. Anne Herzberg of NGO Monitor joins me to discuss the organisation’s investigation into the movement behind Britain’s major anti Israel demonstrations.
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👁🗨 Watch if you want to understand how protest movements acquire power, money and influence
💬 We Discuss: 💷 How organisations hide the source of money behind Britain’s mass demonstrations 🪧 Why supposedly spontaneous mobilisation looks identical all around the world 🏛️ Charity money, tax payer money, and highly political campaigning 🌍 American foundations and international activist platforms funding British protests 🧩 How leadership overlaps across multiple organisations 🧒 Targeting young people through activist training, universities and social media ☪️ The Muslim Brotherhood and other extremist actors challenging democratic life 🇮🇷 How demonstrations centred on Gaza can absorb wider ideological causes ⚖️ Gaps in the Charity Commission, Companies House rules and Foreign Influence Registration Scheme 🇬🇧 Does Britain need stronger institutions capable of examining ideological extremism?
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