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Soros’ alleged support of Black Lives Matter resurges on social media
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A representative for Soros’ Open Society Foundations told PolitiFact that it has not directly given money to the Black Lives Matter organization.
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The $33 million figure is old. It comes from a Washington Times article that pointed to Soros' donations to social justice groups, several of which were active before the founding of the Black Lives Matter organization.
Conservative commentators have tied liberal billionaire philanthropist George Soros to Black Lives Matter for years, long before the murder of George Floyd catapulted the group to the forefront of the struggle for racial justice.
Some claims lack any evidence — like when Candace Owens falsely said Soros was orchestrating protests after Floyd’s killing in summer 2020.
Others require a closer look. That’s the case of another claim Owens made back in 2018 that portrays Soros as a major donor of Black Lives Matter.
The video was reshared on April 9, 2022, by Turning Point USA, a conservative advocacy group, with this caption: "Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens NAILED IT! Black Americans are sick of the hypocrisy and toxicity of BLM Inc!"
The video was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)
Presented without a date, the four-minute clip shows Owens and Kirk, the group’s founder, taking questions from audience members at Stanford University.
"I’ve been trying to look into Black Lives Matter," says a person who identified themselves as a Stanford freshman. "I’m learning that their movement is funded by George Soros."
"$33 million injected," Owens added.
Our Sources
Facebook post, April 9, 2022
Facebook post, May 29, 2018
Email interview with Candace Owens, April 12, 2022
Black Lives Matter, About us, accessed April 13, 2022
Drug Policy Alliance, About us, accessed April 13, 2022
ProPublica, Open Society Institute 990-PFF 2014, accessed April 13, 2022
Open Society Foundations, George Soros, accessed April 12, 2022
Open Society Foundations, Awarded Grants Database, accessed on April 12, 2022
Email interview with Open Society Foundations’ communications officer, April 12, 2022
Open Society Foundations, Racial Justice in the United States, accessed on April 12, 2022
Tides Foundation, Tides welcomes Black Lives Matter as a new partner, July 2, 2020
PolitiFact, No, George Soros and his foundations do not pay people to protest, June 1, 2020
Snopes, Did George Soros Fund Ferguson Protests and Black Lives Matter, Jan. 22, 2015
The New York Times, George Soros’ foundation pours $220 million into racial equality push, July 13, 2020
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Soros’ alleged support of Black Lives Matter resurges on social media
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