UK NGOs Behind Post-Oct 7 Anti-Israel Protests, According to NGO Monitor

NGO Monitor released a 129-page “UK Protest Mapping Report 2026” to the House of Lords on 23 May 2026. The analysis mapped 40 major anti-Israel protests and mobilisation campaigns that began after 7 October 2023. It concluded that roughly 80 % of the demonstrations were orchestrated by NGOs, many of which raise funds through U.S. charitable vehicles and receive UK government support via the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office or Gift Aid. At least 11 of the organisations have documented links to extremist actors, including the Iranian regime, the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hamas, Hezbollah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Muslim Brotherhood. Youth-focused programmes such as Amnesty International UK’s “Rise Up” training for 16-24-year-olds and Friends of Al-Aqsa’s mobilisation drive were highlighted as core activities. Funding streams include public donations, transnational foundations (e.g., Open Society Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund) and cryptocurrency, with CAGE and Palestine Action identified as crypto-funded entities.

The Jerusalem PostImported Influence: Foreign Funding, Regulatory Black Holes and Extremist Connections of the Post-October 7 UK Protest Infrastructure

NGO Monitor’s legal adviser Anne Herzberg presented the findings at the invitation of Lord Walney, who moderated a discussion with barrister Jonathan Hall KC. Lord Michael Gove contributed an afterword to the report. Herzberg asserted that the protests are “organized by a globally connected and financed network of NGOs aimed at promoting IRGC propaganda, Islamist and anti-Western narratives, and Israel eliminationism.”

The Jerusalem PostImported Influence: Foreign Funding, Regulatory Black Holes and Extremist Connections of the Post-October 7 UK Protest Infrastructure

The report challenges the prevailing media portrayal of the protests as spontaneous grassroots actions, characterising them instead as “a significant destabilising threat.” It calls for government investigations into the networks and questions whether existing Charity Commission, Companies House and Foreign Influence Registration Scheme regulations are sufficient to ensure transparency.

Imported Influence: Foreign Funding, Regulatory Black Holes and Extremist Connections of the Post-October 7 UK Protest Infrastructure

• “The anti-Israel protests that exploded across the Western world on October 7 are presented as grassroots appeals for Palestinian human rights,” — Anne Herzberg, Legal Adviser, NGO Monitor

The Jerusalem Post

• “In reality, and as our new report documents, they are organized by a globally connected and financed network of NGOs aimed at promoting IRGC propaganda, Islamist and anti-Western narratives, and Israel eliminationism.” — Anne Herzberg

The Jerusalem Post

• “The findings include: At least 11 of the 40 organisations either have links to extremist organisations and/or have officials that have met with or cooperated with extremist actors, including the Iranian regime and its Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Hamas, Hezbollah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the Muslim Brotherhood.” — NGO Monitor report

Imported Influence: Foreign Funding, Regulatory Black Holes and Extremist Connections of the Post-October 7 UK Protest Infrastructure

• “At least two organisations, CAGE and Palestine Action, are raising funding via cryptocurrency.” — NGO Monitor report

Imported Influence: Foreign Funding, Regulatory Black Holes and Extremist Connections of the Post-October 7 UK Protest Infrastructure

The report recommends that the UK government scrutinise foreign funding of domestic advocacy groups and consider reforms to charity and company disclosure regimes. It also notes the 15 June 2026 Court of Appeal decision upholding the proscription of Palestine Action for promoting unlawful violence.

Imported Influence: Foreign Funding, Regulatory Black Holes and Extremist Connections of the Post-October 7 UK Protest Infrastructure