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The Foreign Money Behind America’s Anti-War Protests
People hold placards during the “Stop the War on Iran” protest in Times Square in New York City on February 28, 2026. (Leonardo Munoz/AFP via Getty Images)
The Chinese-backed network behind disruptive anti-ICE and anti-Israel protests is now mobilizing against U.S. action in Iran.
By Tal Fortgang and Stu Smith
03.17.26 — U.S. Politics
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The American strikes on Iran have opened both a new military front abroad and an old front at home. Mere hours after the bombs began to fall, leftist activists took to the streets with signs and chants denouncing American “imperialism” and demanding “Hands Off Iran” and “No New U.S. War in the Middle East.”

It’s no coincidence that these protests bear similarities to the anti-ICE, pro-Cuba, anti-Israel, and pro-Maduro rallies that have dotted the country in recent months. Behind many of these disruptions is the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), an umbrella organization composed of various far-left groups.

A close look at ANSWER’s operations reveals a demonstration-industrial complex—a coordinated ecosystem in which organizations lean in to their respective strengths and complement others’ infrastructure, messaging, or reach. These organizations are, in turn, closely linked with hostile foreign actors, raising questions not only about their propriety, but their legality.

ANSWER did not respond to a request for comment for this article.

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Tal Fortgang
Tal Fortgang is a legal policy fellow and adviser to the president at the Manhattan Institute.
Stu Smith
Stu Smith is an investigative analyst with City Journal.
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Iran
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