$3.6 Million from Soros Aids Groups That Support, Promote Occupy Wall Street

[Rheo]

Business and Media Institute:

Left-wing financier George Soros is at it again. While he may claim he's not behind the Occupy Wall Street protests, funding from his foundations says otherwise. Soros threw his support behind the movement at a United Nations panel on Oct. 3, 'I can sympathize with their grievances.' But he does more than just sympathize, his foundations funded groups that back the protests and steer their 'progressive' message.

Reuters even posed the question 'Who's behind the Wall St. protests?' on Oct. 13, but downplayed Soros's actual financial involvement. Even though 'Soros and the protesters share some ideological ground,' the story added. But Reuters undersold the connection significantly.

The protesters stand by their claim that theirs is purely a grassroots movement. But it is hard to ignore the concerted effort by liberal groups, unions, and other Soros-funded entities that prop-up and fuel the Occupy movement. An echo-chamber of left-wing blogs and news sites that receive Soros cash continues to push the anti-capitalist protest story. Articles repeatedly praise labor and climate activists for their support while denigrating police for their efforts to keep the peace.

Organizations that joined the protesters were granted more than $3.6 million from Soros's Open Society Foundations. On Oct. 5 there was a 'march in solidarity with #occupywallstreet' that listed seven such groups out of the 16 overall supporting the protest. Those seven organizations received $3,614,690 from Soros' Open Society Foundations since the year 2000, with more than $2 million going to Common Cause Education Fund, part of Common Cause, and another $1.1 million to MoveOn.org.

Even the protesters admit the hypocrisy of having billionaire Soros and MoveOn.org 'joining forces to voice their 'support' for an anti-Wall Street movement' and that it 'should set alarm bells ringing.' Additional funding went to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Community Voices Heard, Coalition for the Homeless, Neighborhood Economic Development Advocacy Project (NEDAP), and 350.org.

Those left-wing organizations were joined by their friends in the progressive media. A publication for the protesters, the 'Occupy Wall Street Journal,' is supported by the Independent Media Center which received more than $70,000 from two parts of the Tides organization. This group donates millions of dollars to liberal causes and is partially funded by Soros. Since 2000, Tides received $25,991,845 from his Open Society Foundations. Reuters only noted the $3.5 million from 2007-2009 but failed to mention the long history of funding and the other $20 million.