Billionaire investor Bill Ackman called for a federal law requiring protesters to disclose their funding sources while commenting on the anti-immigration protests that rocked Los Angeles earlier this month.
What Happened: In an X post, the Pershing Square Capital Management CEO said that the difference between organic protests and those funded by special interests is significant.
“Protests can change the course of history, but there is a big difference between an organic protest of volunteers for a cause and protestors paid for by special interests seeking to achieve an objective,” he argued.
Ackman was responding to a post by Tyler Winklevoss, co-founder of cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, who alleged the protests were not organic but rather “NGO funded propaganda.”
The discussion started after a video surfaced showing officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service announce an investigation into the funding of the riots.
See Also: Bill Gates Warns US ‘It’s Not Too Late To Change Course’ As Trump Team Targets HIV Funding Cuts
Why It Matters: Demonstrations against immigration raids escalated in Los Angeles, leading to large-scale protests. Some of them turned violent.
To quell the agitation, Trump authorized the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines, a move deemed a breach of state sovereignty by California Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom asked a federal court to block the Trump administration from using the U.S. military to assist with immigration raids in the city.
More than 30 cases of “police violence” against journalists while covering the protests were also reported, according to a Reuters report dated June 12.
Photo Courtesy: Christopher Penler on Shutterstock.com
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of Benzinga Neuro and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
