George Soros group pledges $300m to US economic security and civil liberties

Open Society Foundations is investing $300m in the United States to boost economic security and defend civil liberties. The commitment comes during Donald Trump’s second term, as millions of Americans face affordability crises and activists warn of threats to the rule of law. Laleh Ispahani said civil society must remain on the playing field and that OSF has experience with autocratic targeting of civil society elsewhere. The foundation expects backlash accusing Soros of meddling in US democracy and said it will not be intimidated into silence. OSF’s work is framed as most urgent where democracy is under attack, rights are rolled back, and peaceful dissent is criminalised.

"On Tuesday, the organisation, founded by the billionaire philanthropist George Soros and headquartered in New York, announced a $300m spend aimed at boosting economic security and defending civil liberties in the US. The drastic commitment comes 16 months into Donald Trump's second term as president, with millions of Americans suffering an affordability crisis and activists warning of an extraordinary attack on the rule of law."

"We certainly believe that civil society is essential and must stay on the playing field, said Laleh Ispahani, managing director for the US at the OSF. We've had experience in other countries, unfortunately, where civil society has been targeted by autocratic administrations. It does matter that we still are funding in most parts of the world and are very much in communication with one another as things are happening in the US."

"Asked whether the foundation was prepared for an inevitable backlash accusing Soros of meddling in US democracy, Ispahani sounded unfazed, saying: We fully expect that. We wouldn't expect anything less. But we also won't be intimidated into silence. We think our work has never mattered more. It matters most in places when democracy is under attack, when rights are being rolled back and peaceful dissent is being criminalised."

"The attacks frequently rely on antisemitic tropes, framing Soros a Jewish survivor of the Nazi occupation in Hungary as a globalist puppet master."

Read at www.theguardian.com