A prominent CEO in the crowd-mobilization industry cautioned that the upcoming “No Kings” protest may be vulnerable to manipulation—through paid demonstrators and foreign influence operations.
Adam Swart, head of a firm that helps organize public rallies, said that protests today are increasingly treated as commodities, with outside actors sometimes inserting agents to steer narratives or spark division.
He argued that while many protests start with genuine grievances, they can be “co-opted” by groups seeking disruption or profit, rather than reform.
Organizers of the “No Kings” movement, which is aimed at denouncing political elitism and government overreach, defended themselves, stating they plan nonviolent demonstrations backed by de-escalation training and security protocols.