Biden donors funding groups behind anti-Israel protests on college campuses: report
Biden addressed campus protests for first time on Thursday
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Biden’s biggest Democratic donors are also funding some anti-Israel protests that have taken over college campuses, according to a report.
While some anti-Israel student protesters and agitators chant "Genocide Joe" in reference to Biden and his administration’s policies, an analysis by Politico found the donors contributing both to Biden and to some of these protest groups include George Soros, David Rockefeller Jr. and Susan and Nick Pritzker, heirs to the Hyatt hotel empire.
Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow are two of the main groups that have organized protests on some college campuses nationwide, including at Columbia University in New York City, according to Politico. The outlet’s analysis found that both groups are supported by the Tides Foundation, which in turn is bolstered with funds from Soros. It also found that the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which has Rockefeller Jr. on its board, gave $300,000 to the Tides Foundation in 2022.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}While Politico reported that the Gates Foundation has also funded the Tides Foundation, the Gates Foundation has disputed this. A spokesperson for the organization said the Gates Foundation does not have active grants to the Tides Foundation, and has never given grants to Jewish Voice for Peace or IfNotNow. The Gates Foundation spokesperson also stated that the foundation is not a donor to President Biden.
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Anti-Israel student protesters lock arms, sing and chant as they brace for New York Police Department officers to raid the campus after Columbia University President Minouche Shafik called on the NYPD to dismantle encampments and remove individuals from Hamilton Hall on Tuesday in New York. (Seyma Bayram via AP)
This is in addition to National Students for Justice in Palestine, a group affiliated with around 200 independent chapters that has had a vocal presence at Columbia University during its recent demonstrations. NJSP has Westchester Peace Action Committee Foundation (WESPAC) as a fiscal sponsor. Fox News Digital has previously reported that WESPAC, whose funding is largely unknown, has received a six-figure contribution from a nonprofit backed by George Soros.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The protests may muddle Biden’s efforts to rally the support of young voters going into the presidential election.
Democratic megadonor George Soros has helped fund some groups that are leading the anti-Israel protests on college campuses, according to a Politico report. (Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images, File)
Biden, who largely remained absent from weighing in on the anti-Israel protests on college campuses, finally addressed the matter on Thursday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"There should be no place on any campus, no place in America for antisemitism or threats of violence against Jewish students," Biden said. "There is no place for hate speech or violence of any kind, whether it’s antisemitism, Islamophobia or discrimination against Arab Americans or Palestinian Americans. It’s simply wrong. There’s no place for racism in America. It’s all wrong. It’s un-American."
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation denying the Politico report.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.