We’ve all seen the headlines: “Mass protests erupt across the country.” The media frames them as spontaneous grassroots uprisings, where ordinary citizens are taking to the streets to defend democracy, fight injustice, or push back against political figures like Donald Trump and ICE.

What if these events aren’t as spontaneous as they appear?

Thanks to a revealing report published in “Ed Griffin’s Need to Know News” – July 18, 2025 edition: https://needtoknow.news we now have confirmation of what many have suspected for years: some of these protests are scripted, paid for, and professionally orchestrated by companies that specialize in public demonstration services.

Crowds on Demand: One such company, “Crowds on Demand” https://www.crowdsondemand.com openly admits on its website, “Whether your organization is looking to gain media attention, pressure a politician, or simply create buzz, we provide the manpower to make it happen.”  Its CEO, Adam Swart, even calls it the “largest protest company in the country.”

• In a candid interview referenced in the “Need to Know” piece, Swart disclosed that his firm turned down a $20 million contract to supply paid participants for a massive, nationwide anti-Trump protest scheduled for Thursday, July 11
• Swart expressed concerns about the potential for violence at such events, noting that based on past experience, these events aren’t always peaceful gatherings. He added, “I just don’t think it’s productive or really making a difference.” That statement alone should give us pause.

The lesser-known but well-funded leftist group, “The 50501 Movement”, 50501 — 50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement, has reportedly organized over 400 coordinated protest events across the country on July 11.

• While their messaging may appear sincere, violence is not their mission. The level of planning, coordination, and the uncertainty of what these paid protestors will do if their personal emotions get involved, again, should give us pause.

When Protests Become Performances

It’s true that the “right to protest” is enshrined in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. It’s a core feature of our free society. However, did you also know that there is a counter term called. “Astroturfing, a term that refers to political or corporate efforts to create the false appearance of grassroots support.

• Unlike real grassroots movements that grow organically from public sentiment, astroturf campaigns are funded, scripted, and often executed by PR firms or activist-for-hire services.
• When protests become scripted, violent spectacles, financed by anonymous donors, and populated with paid actors, we must ask… Is this still democracy in action, or has it morphed into a carefully constructed illusion?

The answer should be obvious, even to the anti-Trump crowds. Violence is criminal, not a right.

This isn’t new. For years, independent journalists and whistleblowers have pointed to the growing trend of “astroturfing”, by political or corporate interests. These staged events are designed to give the illusion of mass support or outrage, when in fact, they’re often driven by money, strategy, and optics.

From Organic Outcry to Industry Playbook

Companies like “Crowds on Demand” and “The 50501 Movement” don’t just function in politics. These companies are also hired for product launches, union busting, PR stunts, and even fake paparazzi setups to help celebrities appear more famous than they are….it’s called Marketing.

But when this kind of staging seeps into politics, it distorts public perception and erodes trust in real activism. If someone can be paid to hold a sign, chant a slogan, or clash with police, where does authenticity begin and potential for violence intervene?

• Political events are not theatrical performances with paid actors; they are sometimes life changing events where emotions and tensions run high.  There are no curtain calls, only our country’s future is at stake

When politics is involved, the issue isn’t just that people are being paid to show up at demonstrations, it’s that emotions and personal beliefs get involved.  When demonstrators become offended, the demonstrations often devolve into violence, property damage, and public fear.  Unfortunately, those responsible walk away unaccountable, hidden behind layers of legal insulation.

Who Benefits? Who Decides?

While the July 11 anti-Trump protests didn’t use “Crowds on Demand” (since the CEO turned down the offer), we’re left wondering: which groups did participate? Who took the money? Who authorized this $20 million contract offer in the first place?

None of these questions have been answered publicly.

And yet, we’re told to believe these protests are the voice of the people, spontaneous, unfiltered, and authentic. Once again; “I was born in the morning, but not yesterday morning.”
Truth is often stranger than fiction, especially when it’s bought and paid for.

• This growing use of “protest-for-hire” services raises uncomfortable but necessary questions about the state of our democracy. Have we allowed our streets to become stages? Are some voices artificially amplified while others are silenced based on the financial incentives?
• It is my opinion that when violence, rock throwing or incendiary devices become part of demonstrations, it’s not Constitutional loopholes that are to blame, it is the deliberate attempt to shift emphasis from possible political misgivings or to create diversion, confusion and frustration within the public, leading to complacency.                                                                                                                         

Why This Matters

I’m not suggesting that all protests are fake. Far from it. America has a long and proud history of peaceful protest that has changed the course of our nation, from civil rights, veterans’ rights to women’s suffrage. But in today’s highly manipulated media environment, we must be more vigilant than ever in asking who’s pulling the strings.

• Remember, when you see repetitive mass produced signs and slogans, chances are, it’s a rented crowd, not a movement.
• If citizens are being paid to appear outraged, it undermines the power of those who are genuinely angry, oppressed, or trying to be heard.

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It’s time to stop taking everything at face value. Not every crowd is a cause. Sometimes, the loudest protests aren’t cries for justice, they’re just business deals in disguise.

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