The founder of Armed Queers of Salt Lake City (AQSLC), the group now under FBI scrutiny in the investigation into the assassination of Charlie Kirk, in 2020 protested with the Salt Lake City chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), demanding support for “police and prison abolition.”
In June, the U.S. House Oversight Committee accused PSL of enabling riots in Los Angeles with funding tied to an alleged agent of the Chinese Communist Party.
Ermiya Fanaeian, the Iranian immigrant and activist who was born a biological male but identifies as a transgender woman, attended a protest in Salt Lake City organized by PSL in June 2020, less than one month after George Floyd’s death sparked nationwide street activism.
“Say yes to police and prison abolition,” Fanaeian yelled into a microphone during the protest, according to Deseret, which described the event as “harsher” than others, with calls “for defunding the police rather than acts of unity,” with law enforcement.
Fanaeian reportedly told the protesters, “‘Radical’ is not a dirty word.”
It’s unclear whether the June 2020 protest where Fanaeian spoke occurred prior to her advocacy for violence during a television interview, when she argued “sometimes violence must happen” to generate “tangible change.”
Ermiya Fanaeian, Iranian trans who's in charge of Armed Queers SLC: "I think sometimes violence must happen"@FBI, look into this Utah militia pic.twitter.com/tCiEpAovbx
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 17, 2025
While Fanaeian at this point in 2020 was likely leading the Salt Lake City chapter of the Pink Pistols, which later parted ways with the activist amid apparent acrimony, the outlet reported that the protest was organized by the city’s PSL chapter.
Just weeks later, The Salt Lake Tribune reported that the same PSL chapter held another protest, this time alongside three other groups, including the Salt Lake City Antifascist Coalition, and Insurgence USA, whose leader, James Earle Sullivan, was arrested at a protest just two days later.
Sullivan was later accused of being a member of Antifa in early 2021, after he recorded himself entering the U.S. Capitol on January 6, when he appeared to encourage protesters. Sullivan claimed to earn at least $70,000 from selling his footage to outlets including CNN and NBC News.
He was ultimately convicted on charges related to the Capitol protest in April 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), who said Sullivan wrote on social media of his desire to see an “electoral purge” after the 2020 elections, and sought to incite Trump supporters on January 6.
PSL, more recently, was accused of facilitating the nationwide protests against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that led to the deployment of military personnel in Los Angeles earlier this year.
Though the socialist group claims it is peaceful, and receives the majority of its funding through membership dues, PSL is one of many organizations that independent journalist Jennica Pounds recently reported receives funding from organizations whose primary benefactor is Neville Roy Singham, a Shanghai-based U.S. citizen and corporate consultant with alleged ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Pounds additionally found images posted to social media that seem to link PSL with the anti-ICE protests.
🚨🔥 𝑵𝑬𝑽𝑰𝑳𝑳𝑬 𝑺𝑰𝑵𝑮𝑯𝑨𝑴: Funded Pro-Palestinian Campus Protests; Now Tied to Anti-ICE Riots 🔥🚨
🧵 The LA riots were part of a series of nationwide protests organized by Communist PSL (Party for Socialism & Liberation) taking place on June 7-8.
Several days ago,… https://t.co/hhm3D9wz31 pic.twitter.com/uk4kaJQXL7
— DataRepublican (small r) (@DataRepublican) June 9, 2025
One such group is the Justice and Education Fund (JEF), which the New York Times in 2023 reported received funding from Singham. The group in turn financially supports another socialist group, The People’s Forum, where the PSL’s former presidential candidate, Claudia De la Cruz, is a director.
De la Cruz is also a coordinator of JEF, which has reportedly received more than $20 million from Singham.
Last year, The Jerusalem Post additionally reported that PSL played a role in anti-Israel protests during a period when high ranking figures were employed by media organizations connected to Singham.
The Times reported that Singham, “works closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide,” while The Washington Examiner similarly alleged that tax documents show his network was activated to push pro-Hamas protests throughout the country after the terrorist group attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
The reporting led the House Oversight Committee to request U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi investigate Singham to determine whether he represented China as a foreign agent without properly identifying himself.
“These reports suggest that Mr. Singham may have acted as an agent for the CCP,” said the lawmakers. “If Mr. Singham is carrying out this strategy on behalf of the CCP, he may have a FARA registration obligation,” concluded the lawmakers.
They stated, “To assist the Committee’s oversight of this matter, we request a briefing on what steps DOJ and any component agencies are taking to counter the CCP’s influence operations against the United States.”
The Tennessee Star was the first news outlet to note that AQSLC previously lectured college students at a campus less than one hour from the site of Kirk’s assassination last week, and that Faenian is a former gun control activist. The Star was also first to confirm that Fanaeian is a biological man who identifies as a transgender woman.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Image “Ermiya Fanaeian” by EndWokeness.
Back in his native country, the ruling party would have pushed this guy off the top of a tall building with no parachute. Clowns like this leave the hell hole they were born in and then come over here preaching revolution. Send him back to Iran!