Latest news with #politicalprotests
Russia Today
17-07-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
Rent-a-crowd CEO lifts lid on US protest industry's ‘dirty secrets'
Political protests in the US are rarely acts of pure conviction, according to Adam Swart, CEO of a prominent publicity firm that supplies paid demonstrators for political and corporate events. Swart, who founded Crowds on Demand in 2012, revealed what was described as the 'dirty secrets' of his profession in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday. His company recruits and manages individuals who appear at rallies, protests, and public events on behalf of paying clients. Swart argued that compensating activists is not unethical. He said the service allows people to engage in causes they support but might not otherwise be able to attend. 'All activism is what I call incentivized activism,' he said. 'We compensate people for having their views known, but most people who attend demonstrations have some reason for being there other than the so-called purity of their beliefs.' Swart offered examples to bolster his claim, including the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests. 'How many real housewives went out to protest for [the Black Lives Matter campaign] in the summer of 2020?' he said. 'Do you think it's because they cared about institutional racism? Or do you think it's to flex on social media?' He added that labor unions sometimes pressure members to attend demonstrations, with threats of less favorable work shifts, and political aides are often expected to take part in campaign events during their personal time. Paid demonstrators typically earn several hundred dollars per day, according to Swart. Nationwide publicity campaigns, he said, can cost millions. He noted that he recently turned down a $20 million offer from political interests opposed to US President Donald Trump. Swart emphasized that his rejection of the offer was not driven by ideology but by concerns that the campaign's likely failure would damage his firm's reputation. 'The problem is that these are the same consultant class who propped up [former US President Joe] Biden, who propped up [former Vice President] Kamala Harris, who fundamentally failed so miserably in the 2024 election, and who have failed every single day since then in reigning in Trump's agenda,' he said.
South China Morning Post
30-06-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Why is Paetongtarn's ‘uncle' Hun Sen attacking her amid Thai-Cambodian tensions?
Cambodia 's former leader Hun Sen has launched a flurry of personal attacks on Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra in what analysts say is an attempt to deflect international scrutiny over Cambodia's role in regional scam operations while amplifying the political turmoil in Bangkok and consolidating his domestic political support. In a heated live stream on Friday, Hun Sen accused Paetongtarn of insulting the Thai king and threatened to reveal damaging information about her politically influential family. The outburst followed the leak of a private phone call in which Paetongtarn referred to a Thai military commander as 'an opponent' and urged 'uncle' Hun Sen not to listen to those denouncing her – remarks seen by critics as too deferential to Cambodia and disrespectful to Thailand's military. The leak has triggered a political firestorm in Bangkok, fuelling protests, coalition cracks and legal petitions. Taking particular issue with Paetongtarn referring to her own commander as an 'opponent', Hun Sen argued that the remark constituted 'an insult to the king'. 'An insult to a regional commander is an insult to the Thai king because it is only the king who issued a royal decree to appoint him,' the Cambodian Senate president said in the live stream on his official Facebook page. 03:33 Thai yellow shirts return to demand Paetongtarn's removal after leaked Hun Sen call Thai yellow shirts return to demand Paetongtarn's removal after leaked Hun Sen call That interpretation has been echoed in a petition filed by 36 Thai senators to the Constitutional Court, alleging that Paetongtarn's comments might have seriously violated ethical standards by undermining the authority of a royal-appointed military commander – and by extension, the monarchy itself. The court is set to decide on Tuesday whether to accept the case, which could lead to her suspension from office.
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
President Donald Trump's approval rating by state as of June 2025
President Donald Trump's second run as commander in chief of the United States has entered Summer 2025 in a vortex of turbulent times. Questions surrounding the hikes on tariffs that have impacted the economy—which has since been backtracked and realigned at times under new deals and stall tactics—have been at the forefront of the administration's first 100 days in office and beyond. Most recently, mass demonstrations across the country have placed the president's federal immigration operations and subsequent use of power in the national spotlight, with many turning their attention to the unrest in Los Angeles, California, where political battles have only escalated the current situation. The 47th president's approval rating has reflected the national tensions, though not in any lopsided sense. As "No Kings Day" rallies kick off across the country, the current data shows overall approval ratings anywhere from 44% to 53%, depending on the source. What is President Donald Trump's approval rating in each state? According to one set of data, here's the updated breakdown in all 50... President Trump approval rating: 62% President Trump approval rating: 49% President Trump approval rating: 50% President Trump approval rating: 61% President Trump approval rating: 33% President Trump approval rating: 39% President Trump approval rating: 40% President Trump approval rating: 36% President Trump approval rating: 53% President Trump approval rating: 46% President Trump approval rating: 26% President Trump approval rating: 66% President Trump approval rating: 37% President Trump approval rating: 57% President Trump approval rating: 49% President Trump approval rating: 57% President Trump approval rating: 59% President Trump approval rating: 56% President Trump approval rating: 40% President Trump approval rating: 30% President Trump approval rating: 32% President Trump approval rating: 47% President Trump approval rating: 43% President Trump approval rating: 57% President Trump approval rating: 54% President Trump approval rating: 56% President Trump approval rating: 54% President Trump approval rating: 47% President Trump approval rating: 41% President Trump approval rating: 40% President Trump approval rating: 45% President Trump approval rating: 38% President Trump approval rating: 47% President Trump approval rating: 67% President Trump approval rating: 50% President Trump approval rating: 63% President Trump approval rating: 37% President Trump approval rating: 46% President Trump approval rating: 36% President Trump approval rating: 55% President Trump approval rating: 58% President Trump approval rating: 59% President Trump approval rating: 50% President Trump approval rating: 56% President Trump approval rating: 26% President Trump approval rating: 42% President Trump approval rating: 36% President Trump approval rating: 68% President Trump approval rating: 45% President Trump approval rating: 69% (Data courtesy of World Population Review) This article originally appeared on The List Wire: President Donald Trump's approval rating in each state as of June 2025
Reuters
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Bolivia police teargas Morales supporters protesting electoral ban
LA PAZ, May 16 (Reuters) - Tensions flared in Bolivia's administrative capital La Paz on Friday as supporters of former President Evo Morales gathered outside the electoral court, demanding his reinstatement as a candidate in this year's presidential race. Bolivia's constitutional court this week upheld a lower court ruling banning presidents from serving more than two terms, in effect blocking Morales from running for what would be his fourth term. Clashes erupted between protesters and police, who deployed tear gas and paintballs to disperse the crowd. "Look at what they are doing to us," said protester Jorge Aduviri. "There are kids here, elderly people, pregnant women." Among the demonstrators, Indigenous women kneeled in defiance, while others chanted slogans against the current government. Morales, an Indigenous former coca farmer who led Bolivia for nearly 14 years, departed under a cloud in November 2019 after he ran for an unprecedented fourth term in an election marred by allegations of fraud. "We don't have money," said demonstrator Flora Quispe. "We want Evo to be president again!"
CNA
09-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Thousands rally in Bangladesh seeking ban on former PM's party
DHAKA: Thousands of people rallied on Friday (May 9) outside the residence of Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, demanding he ban the political party of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus, 84, has led an interim government since Hasina was overthrown by student-led mass protests in August 2024 and fled into exile as crowds stormed her palace. Friday's rally came after the sudden departure of Abdul Hamid, a former leader of Hasina's Awami League party, from Bangladesh early on Thursday. A crowd, mainly made up of young people, had started gathering outside Yunus' residence on Thursday night. Hasnat Abdullah, the chief organiser of the newly formed National Citizen's Party, said the demonstration would continue until their demands were met. "Sheikh Hasina robbed the people of Bangladesh of their democratic rights. She manipulated the system to prevent any real opposition from participating in the election," Kamrul said. "We saw Abdul Hamid leave the country safely. The actions of certain advisers are highly suspicious. The delay in justice appears to be part of a broader plan to bring back the fallen dictator and her party," he added. Hasina remains in self-imposed exile in India and has defied an arrest warrant from Dhaka over charges of crimes against humanity. According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 protesters died in July when Hasina's government launched a brutal crackdown on the opposition, casualties for which she and Hamid are being investigated. At least three police officers responsible for overseeing airport arrivals and departures have been dismissed for negligence, according to officials, after Hamid's departure. While citizens are generally barred from assembling outside the chief adviser's residence, the student demonstrators were allowed through. The government said on Friday it was seriously considering the demand raised by various quarters to ban the Awami League.
