People's Forum and the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which both receive direct or indirect funding from Shanghai-based tech tycoon Neville Roy Singham, were key organizers of May Day demonstrations in New York City where Mayor Zohran Mamdani spoke to a crowd at Union Square on Friday.
A Fox News Digital investigation found that The People's Forum received $22.4 million from Singham, who has been described by intelligence analysts as promoting Chinese Communist Party-aligned messaging through U.S.-based nonprofit organizations. PSL and TPF coordinated logistics for the protests, arriving with pre-made signs and equipment unloaded from a van parked next to Union Square Park.
What the Left Is Saying
Progressive advocates and left-leaning political observers argue that May Day demonstrations represent legitimate exercises of First Amendment rights regardless of their funding sources. They point out that organized labor has long been central to May 1 protests in the United States, with unions including Teamsters chapters participating alongside various activist groups.
Mayor Mamdani's remarks at the event focused on kitchen-table issues affecting working-class New Yorkers. 'That is why we continue to fight for those who power this city as we look to deliver universal child care,' Mamdani told the crowd. 'Faster buses, cheaper groceries, protecting our neighbors from the cruelty of ice. And yes, working to tax the wealthiest and the most profitable corporations in New York City.'
Advocates for TPF and PSL have previously defended their organizations as grassroots movements focused on economic justice, healthcare access, and workers' rights rather than foreign influence operations.
What the Right Is Saying
Republican lawmakers and national security experts say the situation raises serious concerns about foreign interference in domestic political organizing. Intelligence community assessments have flagged Singham's funding network as a vector for CCP-aligned soft power operations in American civic life.
Senators on the Senate Intelligence Committee have requested briefings on Singham's network following reports of his nonprofit funding flows. Critics argue that any foreign government attempting to influence U.S. policy through activist groups represents a threat to democratic self-governance regardless of whether those groups' domestic policy goals align with some voters' preferences.
Conservative commentators note that communist ideology featured prominently at the May Day events, with organizations including Revolutionary Communists of America distributing literature calling for abolition of existing governmental institutions and their replacement with 'a new, socialist system based on the constitution for the new socialist republic of America.'
What the Numbers Show
Fox News Digital's investigation found The People's Forum received $22.4 million from Singham since its founding.
May Day protests occurred in cities across the United States on May 1, drawing tens of thousands of participants nationwide according to estimates from organizers and local officials.
Mayor Mamdani has made universal child care, free public transportation, and taxing wealthy residents central pillars of his administration's agenda since taking office.
The Bottom Line
The intersection of foreign-linked funding and domestic political organizing has attracted scrutiny from congressional committees and intelligence agencies. Both TPF and PSL have rejected characterizations of their work as foreign influence operations, arguing they represent legitimate progressive movements advocating for policies supported by millions of Americans.
Mayor Mamdani's appearance at an event organized by groups with documented ties to Singham may complicate his administration's relationships with federal authorities investigating the funding network. What happens next could involve additional congressional hearings or DOJ review under existing foreign agent registration requirements.