Sen. Hawley Confronts Pro-Beijing Protesters Who Stormed His Office

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) speaks during the Faith and Freedom Road to Majority conference at Hilton in Washington on June 23, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

Several members of Code Pink—a leftist organization branding itself as feminism-centered but promoting pro-Beijing messages—stormed Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) office on Thursday to protest his support for Israel.

A video shared on social media shows a group of individuals blocking Mr. Hawley at his office, with some raising their hands covered in red paint, accusing the senator of “supporting genocide” in Gaza.

Mr. Hawley can be heard saying in the video that the group was funded by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and asking them if the CCP’s alleged abuse against the Uyghur minority should be considered genocide.

The senator also shared the video on his social media account, calling Code Pink protesters “astroturf wackos” and criticizing them for not knowing “if the Uyghur genocide is real.”

“The anti-Israel Code Pink crazies are back roaming the halls of the Senate calling Israel a terrorist state. But when I confront them about all their dirty funding from China - they get suddenly tongue tied,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Mr. Hawley said in a Fox News interview that he “enjoyed” the exchange with the Code Pink protesters because he was able to call them out for their alleged funding from the CCP.

“These are people who can’t even admit that the Uyghurs are in internment camps, concentration camps, and yet they say that Israel is a terrorist state?” he said.

“Give me a break! It is astroturf whackos is what these people are, and it’s time they got called out,” he added.

Code Pink

Code Pink is a nonprofit that presents itself as a feminist grassroots organization “working to end U.S. warfare and imperialism” while advocating for “peace and human rights initiatives.”

The group has frequently interrupted U.S. government proceedings. On March 22, 2023, Code Pink protesters interrupted a congressional hearing, shouting over senators and demanding that the United States soften its stance on the CCP and abandon its commitment to arming Ukraine.

The organization also disrupted the first meeting of the House Select Committee on the CCP last year.

In November 2023, House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and eight GOP lawmakers sent a letter to Code Pink President Jodie Evans requesting information to probe the group’s potential ties to the CCP.

“Code Pink regularly engages in lobbying, protests, and extensive advocacy efforts regarding environmental and energy issues, particularly as it relates to America’s national security infrastructure,” the letter reads.

“Code Pink also declares that the United States ’must downsize our military budget' to fight climate change. While these activities alone may be cause for disagreement, the Committee is concerned with Code Pink’s funding arrangements, potential funding by foreign nationals, and purported connections with the CCP.”

The letter raised questions about Ms. Evans’s husband, Neville Roy Singham, and his ties to the CCP. Mr. Singham, “a self-proclaimed socialist” and “benefactor of far-left causes,” is based in China.

According to the letter, as per nonprofit records, about a quarter of Code Pink’s donations, totaling more than $1.4 million, have come from two groups linked to Mr. Singham since 2017.

“The New York Times extensively detailed how, over a similar time period, your personal opinions and Code Pink’s position on China have both shifted to more closely align with the CCP’s agenda, alarming various left-wing and progressive organizations sympathetic with other goals of Code Pink,” it states.

The group’s website lists a campaign called “China Is Not Our Enemy,” which cautions that the United States is “heading towards a dangerous confrontation with China” and encourages people to take action by signing a petition to the Senate.

Andrew Thornebrooke contributed to this report.