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China ‘funding pro-Palestine marches in UK’
US committee claims Beijing is supporting anti-Israel protests on Britain’s streetsPublished 13 August 2026 9:30pm BST
Code Pink has organised protests in the UK against Britain’s involvement in Gaza
China is suspected of funding pro-Palestine marches in the UK, The Telegraph can disclose.
US politicians investigating alleged secret Chinese backing of Code Pink, a far-Left feminist protest group established in the US, are examining its activities in Britain as part of an inquiry into foreign interference.
Code Pink has organised protests in the UK against Britain’s involvement in “the genocide in Gaza”, encouraged its activists to demonstrate outside RAF bases, and issued statements claiming that Britain’s leaders have been “bought by Zionism”.
The investigation comes amid concern that Beijing is seeking to exploit divisive causes in the West to deepen social tensions and wage what critics describe as “political warfare” against its adversaries.
The Telegraph can reveal that the US investigation is examining £250,000 in alleged payments to a company linked to Code Pink in the UK from firms connected to Neville Roy Singham, a tech tycoon accused of financing Chinese propaganda around the world.
Jason Smith, the chairman of the US Congress 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 told The Telegraph that investigators were aware of alleged Chinese funding of groups in Britain and that it formed part of their inquiry.
“We are aware that China is funding pro-Hamas and leftists in the UK and the US,” the source said. “That is why we are investigating it and will continue to do so.”
Code Pink in the US has received millions of dollars from Mr Singham, who is facing multiple investigations over allegations that his network has produced pro-China propaganda on behalf of the communist regime in Beijing.
A congressional committee has claimed that Code Pink – which was founded by Jodie Evans, Mr Singham’s wife – appeared to have been “funded and influenced by Mr Singham and the communist Chinese government”.
The Telegraph can reveal that a UK company with links to Code Pink received more than $250,000 (£190,000) from organisations alleged to be part of Mr Singham’s network in 2020 and 2021.
In 2024, the company received a further $94,950 (£70,000) from the People’s Support Foundation, another organisation suspected of being in Mr Singham’s network, for “consulting services”.
Code Pink encourages activists to join mass pro-Palestinian marches and has organised demonstrations at the Ministry of Defence and the London office of an arms company.
It describes itself as a feminist grassroots organisation working to end warfare and imperialism, and support peace and human rights.
One of the movement’s senior campaign organisers in the UK is Suzie Gilbert, who has been described as its “contact in Britain”.
Her work with the group has included campaigning for peace with Iran, demonstrations calling for the removal of British military bases in Cyprus, and visiting China under the theme that it “is not our enemy”.
On Thursday night, a spokesman for Ms Gilbert denied being part of any “propaganda campaign” on behalf of Beijing.
Code Pink has called for the closure of British military bases abroad and organised a demonstration at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, which has been used for surveillance flights over Gaza.
Campaign supporters have included Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader.
In May last year, the organisation condemned the Government’s support for Israel. Responding to comments by Israeli ministers that the “world won’t stop” their military action in Gaza, Code Pink said: “Our leaders bought by Zionism will certainly not, but the people will.”
The organisation has attracted scrutiny in Washington over its funding and supportive stance towards Beijing.
A US state department official told The Telegraph: “Code Pink agitates against the interests of the United States and our allies alike.
“The far-Left organisation has repeatedly called for the dissolution of Nato as its coffers are filled with cash from a donor network linked to the Chinese Communist Party.
“The United States stands with its allies and will pursue complete transparency for the donor and NGO networks that lobby for the interests of our adversaries.”
Chuck Grassley, the chairman of the Senate judiciary committee, has also raised concerns about Code Pink with the department of justice.
In an official statement last year, he said: “Evidence suggests that The People’s Forum and Code Pink have been funded and influenced by Mr Singham and the communist Chinese government.”
The ways and means committee has separately accused Mr Singham of “actively fuelling CCP [Chinese Communist Party] propaganda and financing indoctrination efforts abroad by providing hundreds of millions of dollars to groups that mix progressive advocacy with CCP talking points”.
Mr Singham is also being pursued by the department of justice, which has launched a federal grand jury investigation into his links to China.
Government ‘must urgently investigate’
The allegations prompted MPs to call for British authorities to investigate the network.Sarah Champion, a Labour MP, said: “The UK needs to work with the US to investigate the payments, their influence and who is ultimately responsible. We need to present a united front with the US and show zero tolerance.”
Alicia Kearns, a Conservative MP, said: “The threat of the Chinese Communist Party is not abstract. It is made up of these cut-outs who industrialise interference in our democracy, organising and deploying groups parroting seditious Chinese Communist Party narratives.
“They work to undermine our democracy, security and sovereignty in words and actions. The Government must urgently investigate these networks and make full use of the National Security Act to prosecute any unregistered individuals working on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.”
Code Pink also runs a campaign called “China is not our enemy”. Its position on China has changed significantly as its financial links to Mr Singham’s network have grown.
Ms Evans previously criticised Beijing, writing on Twitter in 2015 that: “We demand China stop brutal repression of their women’s human rights defenders.”
The organisation now argues that the US is “heading towards a dangerous confrontation with China” and claims Washington continues to “manipulate the minds of US citizens to support [this] war”.
Mr Singham has close links to China. He shares a Shanghai office with a Chinese state-linked company whose goal is to educate foreigners about “the miracles that China has created on the world stage”.
In 2023, he attended a CCP workshop about promoting the party internationally, according to a New York Times investigation.
The scrutiny of his network comes amid broader fears that Beijing is seeking to exploit political divisions inside Western democracies rather than simply promote favourable views of China.
China has previously been accused of using covert social media campaigns to inflame existing tensions in the West.
In 2021, a Cardiff University report found that social media accounts linked to China had spread calls for violence in the run-up to the US Capitol riots.
Researchers said the activity represented a shift from traditional state propaganda towards attempts to amplify divisions and encourage unrest in rival countries.
‘Real risk to UK democracy’
Tim Law, the deputy director of UK-China Transparency and Britain’s former defence attaché to Beijing, said foreign involvement in legitimate protest movements should be subject to scrutiny.“We are fortunate to live in a country where people are free to express their opinions,” he added. “But if such activism is funded or inspired by any entity connected to a foreign power, that becomes something that demands transparency.
“We know that, during the Cold War, Russia funded sympathetic political movements in the West. If people connected in any way to the Chinese Communist Party are doing the same now, there is a real risk to our democracy that must not be ignored by the authorities.”
Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said: “The CCP is waging a systemic campaign against our Western values and empowering our enemies to work against us in our country.
“They are sowing division and instability in Britain by backing protests and subversive campaigns while pursuing widespread espionage and hostile activity against people living here.”
The investigation comes amid mounting concern about Beijing’s efforts to spy on and interfere with Britain.
This week, The Telegraph revealed that Royal Navy sea drones with Chinese-made components had been secretly sending data back to China, while a former Labour adviser suspected of spying for China was found to be a significant party donor who rubbed shoulders with senior UK politicians.
Mr Singham – who sold his technology company, Thoughtworks, for $785m (£580m) in 2017 – did not respond to a request for comment. He has previously denied working on behalf of China.
When allegations first surfaced about him in 2023, he said: “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.”
Code Pink did not respond to a request for comment but has previously said that allegations against it are “a big fat lie”.
Medea Benjamin, a co-founder, told the Washington Times: “We get zero money from the Chinese Communist Party.”
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.”
