Rent-a-Punk — or two, or three ....

printed T-Shirts, posters; who paid?

Where Do These Mobs Come From? We Have an Answer.

Victoria Taft, PJ Media:

Kamala Harris bused in "supporters" to a rally in what looked like an obvious effort to make her campaign look bigger than it is. Women dressed in "Handmaid's Tale" garb picketed in front of U.S. Supreme Court Justices' homes to pressure justices into changing their minds, insurrection-style, after the Dobbs draft decision was leaked. Democrat operatives sent agents provocateurs to Trump rallies to try and start fights while in line and disrupt his speeches in 2016. In 2008, at a Hillary Clinton speech, a couple of guys heckled her with "Iron my shirts!" 

Who are these people? Don't these people have jobs to go to? Where do they come from? 

Who are they, and how did someone know to be there to capture the weird scene and post it to a now non-existent TikTok account without explanation? Are they feds, or quirky guys who connected on Craig's List, Threads, or Reddit? Are they protesters-for-hire?

A TikTok video released the other day showed about 100 men in khakis and white masks holding odd flags and marching in (bad) formation to a snare drum cadence. 

I asked the CEO of a company that hires and deploys renta-mobs.

The founder and CEO of Crowds on Demand, Adam Swart, doesn't hide what he does. I got a press release from his PR folks a few months, back and Matt talked with him for a PJ Media story about the threat of violent mobs outside the Chicago Democrat convention in July. 

I thought I'd reach out to ask him about the flag-carrying khaki pants boys marching above. 

“I had never heard of this group previously and I don't have any specific information on it. Reducto ad absurdum, reducing your opponent's case to its most ridiculous part, can be an effective technique. 

“These folks seem dressed like neo-fascists marching in a militaristic style, which would likely make some folks pretty uncomfortable. Their style therefore seems designed to go viral online and spur fear. 

“While many online have speculated that this is an attempt by government agencies to make Trump supporters look like fascists, I think that is unlikely. 

“I think it is far more likely that an anti-Trump group would organize it for that purpose. However, it's important to note that these folks don't appear to be waving Trump signs, so if it is a fear mongering tactic then it's a subtle one.”

Or not so subtle. 

Swart's company does a bit of everything.

Crowds on Demand promises crowds "to move forward a healthcare, financial, energy, or other social initiative, we can organize rallies and get media attention for your causes and candidates."  

"If you need to hire protesters, we can get a crowd on the street, sometimes within 24 hours time," the company's website promises. 

They can "staff" city council meetings: "If you need speakers to present at a council meeting, we can provide talented and well-spoken individuals to advocate for the cause."

Need to make astroturfed phone calls to Congress? "We also have a dedicated team of phone-banking staff who can call Congressional Offices and convince government officials to support your cause and help you overcome opposition."

Are you trying to remove a popular TV host or need some other letter-writing campaign? "[W]e have a network of tens of thousands of individuals across the country who can send well-written constituent letters to their representatives."

And finally, "We are the ultimate guerrilla lobbying and government relations firm."

….

Some events attract grassroots activists, but many, like a Joe Biden speech, need help. Motivated activists might drop everything to go to a protest, but protesting doesn't pay the bills— or does it? I'm told that protesters can make a couple hundred to a few hundred dollars per day depending on the job. 

This kind of business model — which Swart didn't create but simply copied and perfected — should make you question everything.

The flag-waving episode was reminiscent of the tiki torch-carrying jacka**es in Charlottesville. An X user asked a good question about the edited and spliced video that went out on social media: "Who filmed the Hollywood-quality Tiki Torch march?" And why?

Was any of this activity an outpouring of genuine political zeal or is somebody trying to spin up something out of nothing? Were all of these astroturfed phony displays either by federal officers, opposition groups, or Lisa Fithian-inspired violent leftists trolling for coverage? Or were they paid protesters?

…. As a radio talk host, I visited the Occupy Portland charade every day. These union-paid activists destroyed the same parks where Antifa nearly destroyed the city only a few years later. They created clashes with police to get headlines.

It was all part of a show. They had a casting director and everything. Since I was keeping track of their communications, I saw their casting call for paid actors and actresses to play roles of "apologetic captains of industry" for the cameras. 

It’s not difficult to round up a few thousand useful idiots on college campuses to riot for your cause, but who organizes these love-ins? Why do the same ringleaders show up at disparate protests around the country, and who pays their expenses? Taft has provided at least part of the answer.

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