A sweeping wave of anti-Trump “May Day Strong” protests that unfolded across America over the weekend was marketed as a grassroots uprising against billionaires, but newly surfaced funding data tells a very different story.
Investigations into the coalition behind the demonstrations show that dozens of participating groups have been heavily bankrolled by billionaire, socialist activist George Soros.
The huge sums of cash pumped into the protests by Soros raise questions about the authenticity of a movement that claimed to stand “against” elite influence.
The Working Families Party and affiliated organizations, recipients of tens of millions in funding, were also key players, promoting progressive economic and climate policies while mobilizing activists across multiple states.
Other participants included climate activist organizations, socialist-aligned groups, and labor unions, forming a broad coalition united in opposition to President Donald Trump and his administration.
A similar campaign is being waged against the One Nation Party in Saturday’s Farrah by-election, although activist group GetUp claims Soros has not funded their recent anti-human protests.
According to its website Australian activist group GetUp is primarily funded by thousands of small individual donations from Australians. In 2019, approximately 97% of donations were for amounts under $100. Major donors listed in more recent records (up to 2024–2026) include:
The Estate of Geoffrey Lawson Hook (approx. $737,220).
The Sunrise Project Australia Ltd (approx. $535,000).
First Australians Capital Ltd ($500,000)
GetUp has denied it received any recent funding from Soros.
Another major GetUp donor was the CFMEU presently under the microscope and the subject of an ongoing, major Queensland Government Inquiry for entrenched corruption across the building industry.
Senator Jacquie Lambie exposes one of the most corrupt unions in Australian history which donated more than one million dollars to GetUp in 2012 for various political campaigns.
GetUp says it has spent $600,000 in the run up to Saturday’s federal by-election for the seat of Farrah campaigning against Pauline Hanson along with the One Nation candidate and local businessman David Farley.
The campaign involves TV ads, billboards, radio, and digital platforms across regional cities including Albury, Griffith, Barooga, and Deniliquin.
The campaign is specifically designed to stop One Nation from winning a lower house seat in a region they argue affects rural voters most.
Prior to the 2024 Queensland election GetUp advertised well-paid positions for regional staff to go into Aboriginal communities encouraging members to vote for Labor or Greens candidates.
According to recent polls GetUp might have wasted its donor’s money with David Farley polling comfortably in top position.
Cairns News has no doubt there will be a level of voter fraud as there is at every election, but Labor is not running a candidate and the bogus vote most likely will not pose a threat to One Nation.
GetUp it seems is as dodgy as the CFMEU and should be investigated by a government inquiry for unlawful election interference.
