From March 2018 to December 2019, the media reported on The Great March of Return. Each Friday, the Palestinian Arabs of Gaza approached the barrier separating Gaza from Israel in “spontaneous,” “peaceful” protests, demanding the right to return to their homes in “Palestine.” It didn’t take long for Hamas to coopt the protests. Soon, amidst the smoke of burning tires and under cover of night, Gazans attempted to break through the fence into Israel.
These were not peaceful protests; they were destructive riots. But how does international law apply to civilian rioting in support of military objectives?
Which paradigm is applicable: Conduct of Hostilities or Law Enforcement — or a combination of the two?
The March was useful for Hamas. It put pressure on Israel to deal with masses of Gazans at the barrier, many of whom tried to break through and infiltrate into Israel. The Gazans who were killed or injured became frontpage news generating worldwide condemnations of Israel
But on October 7, 2023, Hamas penetrated the barrier — murdering, raping, and kidnapping Israeli civilians.
- NBC: Buildings vandalized during pro-Palestinian rally in West Hartford: police
- LA Daily News: Lawmakers call for DOJ investigation of pro-Palestinian vandalism at LA veterans cemetery
- ABC News: Pro-Palestinian protesters deface front of the New York City Public Library
- Axios: Multiple congressional offices hit with pro-Palestinian vandalism
- Washington Times: Pro-Palestinian marchers push against White House fence, vandalize national monuments during protest
- Reuters: Hundreds of Pro-Palestinian protesters arrested after blocking NYC bridges, tunnel
- Haaretz: Pro-Palestinian Protesters Block Access to New York Times Newsroom, Accuse Staff of ‘Complicity in Genocide’
- NBC: Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters block downtown LA streets to call for ceasefire
- AP: Pro-Palestinian protesters block airport access roads in New York and Los Angeles
- ABC: Pro-Palestinian protests block New York City bridges, Holland Tunnel; over 300 arrested
Conflicts are fought in new, innovative, and radically different ways. With the advent of modern hybrid warfare, they are less and less about lethal or kinetic force.
It is important to note here that the concept of hybrid warfare might not be entirely new. Many practitioners contend that it is as old as war itself. Nevertheless, it has gained significant currency and relevance in recent years as states employ non-state actors and information technology to subdue their adversaries during or—more importantly—in the absence of a direct armed conflict. [emphasis added]
Those campaigns made deliberate and effective use of the combination of military force and civilian activity. In the fighting in Georgia, for example, armored forces were able to enter the north of the country thanks to the efforts of Russian-oriented Georgian-Abkhaz civilians, who, in a preparatory move, seized the tunnels and bridges of the expressway that leads to the capital, Tbilisi.
What takes the centre stage here is the role of civilians: how they think and act in relation to the state. Contemporary digital and social media platforms allow hybrid actors to influence this to the detriment of the adversary state with considerable ease. The Russian online disinformation campaigns, some of which are very subtle yet grave, against some Western states constitute a good case in point. [emphasis added]
Hundreds, sometimes thousands, participate. They’ve got professionally-rendered signs and banners. They’ve got transportation, and food and drink. And they’ve got organizers who wear uniforms and control the crowds.
But there is more to this than just better organization; there is also better funding. But the money is for more than just staffing and supplies. People are being paid to riot:
pro-Palestine — and, increasingly, pro-Hamas — protestors are being paid to protest. To block highways and roads. To intimidate and threaten Jews and non-Jews. To cause chaos.
From the Palestinian Authority’s pay-to-slay program, we have now arrived at the pay-to-riot program. The people who hold the money call the shots. Since the organizers are still paying out despite the riots, vandalism, and chaos — it appears that the rioting, vandalism, and chaos are what the organizers want.
According to Francesca Block, writing for The Free Press, one of those funding this chaos on the streets of the US is the American-born tech entrepreneur, Neville Roy Singham. He is the founder and one of the lead supporters of The People’s Forum. The group helped to organize at least four protests after October 7 as of November 14. One of them was on October 8, before Israel had taken any action in Gaza:
The New York Times found ties between Singham and “a lavishly funded influence campaign that defends China and pushes its propaganda”:
What is less known, and is hidden amid a tangle of nonprofit groups and shell companies, is that Mr. Singham works closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide.
The article describes him as “a socialist benefactor of far-left causes.” Singham denies any connection with the Chinese Communist Party or China itself. However, according to the article:
He and his allies are on the front line of what Communist Party officials call a “smokeless war.” Under the rule of Xi Jinping, China has expanded state media operations, teamed up with overseas outlets and cultivated foreign influencers. The goal is to disguise propaganda as independent content.
The August 2023 Times article makes no mention of Israel, Palestinian Arabs, or Gaza, but as a supporter of far-left causes Singham’s People’s Forum supporting violent protests is not surprising. For China, the riots are not necessarily a question of supporting Gaza, but rather using pro-Palestinian protests and the chaos they create to undermine the US.
These Chinese media interests are helping sow discord in the U.S., Rep. Mike Gallagher, the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, told The Free Press.
“The Chinese Communist Party uses tools like Confucius Institutes on college campuses, TikTok’s addictive algorithm, and organizations like those that Mr. Singham funds to divide and weaken America,” Gallagher said.
They are a feature.
