China suspected of funding pro-Palestine marches in UK, claims report

China is suspected of funding pro-Palestine marches in the UK through a far-left protest group, The Telegraph said in a report, prompting investigations by both US lawmakers and the British Home Office.

The reports centre on Code Pink, a feminist anti-war organisation founded in the United States.

The group has organised protests in Britain against the country’s involvement in what it calls “the genocide in Gaza,” encouraged demonstrations outside RAF bases and the Ministry of Defence, and claimed that British leaders have been “bought by Zionism.”

US investigators are examining its UK activities as part of a wider probe into foreign interference.

At the heart of the allegations is Neville Roy Singham, an American tech tycoon who lives in Shanghai and is married to Code Pink co-founder Jodie Evans.

Investigators are looking at roughly £250,000 in alleged payments to a UK company linked to Code Pink from businesses connected to Singham, including more than £190,000 in 2020-2021 and a further £70,000 in 2024 from the People’s Support Foundation for “consulting services.”

Singham has faced multiple US probes, including by the House Ways and Means Committee and a federal grand jury, over claims his network spreads pro-China propaganda.

Jason Smith, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, told The Telegraph: “It’s clear from the Ways and Means Committee 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.”

A congressional source added according to The Telegraph: “We are aware that China is funding pro-Hamas and leftists in the UK and the US. That is why we are investigating it and will continue to do so.”

The Home Office is now “looking into the issues raised” as part of its work countering foreign interference.

A government spokesman 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.”

Luke de Pulford of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China welcomed the UK response but warned of a broader threat: “The UK is under siege from China and practically defenceless on the battlefield. The CCP is engaged in a whole-of-state effort to manipulate narratives abroad, to sow division and chaos. Communist Party academics call this kind of activity unrestricted warfare: seeking advantage through non-military means, and they’re very good at it. We have yet to even recognise this acute threat, let alone defend ourselves appropriately.”

The concerns come amid fears that Beijing seeks to exploit divisive causes in the West to deepen social tensions.

Singham has previously denied acting on behalf of China.

In 2023 he stated: “I categorically deny and repudiate any suggestion that I am a member of, work for, take orders from, or follow instructions of any political party or government or their representatives. I am solely guided by my beliefs, which are my long-held personal views.”

A spokesman for a UK Code Pink contact also denied involvement in any Beijing propaganda campaign.

The claims remain under investigation and do not yet prove direct Chinese government funding of the protests.