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The summers preceding the past two major November elections were dominated by angry and hateful protests, many of which involved violence. In 2020, Black Lives Matter activists protested and rioted in the wake of the death of George Floyd. In 2022, activists threatened Supreme Court justices and attacked crisis-pregnancy centers after the Dobbs decision overturned Roe. Some organizations are fundraising to help them create another summer of rage.
From The Washington Free Beacon. A New York City nonprofit that received more than $12 million from Goldman Sachs’ charitable arm encouraged anti-Israel activists to re-create the violent protests of “the summer of 2020,” just hours before rioters stormed and occupied a building on Columbia University’s campus.
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More than 100 masked and keffiyeh-clad activists convened in the People’s Forum’s Manhattan office Monday evening to plan their next moves as anti-Israel protests reach a fever pitch across the country. The meeting, which was scheduled to start at 6:45 p.m., was delayed to give protesters from Columbia time to make it downtown.
Once the Columbia protesters arrived, People’s Forum executive director Manolo De Los Santos urged the group to “give Joe Biden a hot summer” and “make it untenable for the politics of usual to take place in this country.” Los Santos praised Columbia students for “decid[ing] that resistance is more important than negotiations,” and urged those assembled at the People’s Forum to “support our students so that the encampments can go for as long as they can.” …
The “Volunteer Meeting,” which the Washington Free Beacon attended via Zoom, concluded at 9:30 p.m. following “break out sessions” that focused on organizing new methods of “resistance.” A few hours later activists smashed the windows of Columbia’s Hamilton Hall and barricaded themselves inside. …
The People’s Forum, a registered charity that describes itself as “a movement incubator for working class and marginalized communities,” has been a mainstay at anti-Israel protests since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish state. …
The People’s Forum’s operations are made possible in large part by a $12 million donation from Goldman Sachs’s charitable arm. …
Groups like the People’s Forum stand to lose their charity status if they are found to be party to riots and violent protests, experts told the Free Beacon. The IRS’s charity guidelines state that groups may lose their charity status if they engage in “planned activities that violate laws” or “induce the commission of crime.” …
If we do see another summer of rage and violence, how will that affect the election? Share your prayers for America below.
(Excerpt from The Washington Free Beacon. Photo Credit: Amber Kipp on Unsplash)