Astroturf Exposed: Radical Leftists Organizing Nationwide 'Conservative' Data Center Protests
Degrowth movement backed by Kamala Harris bundlers revealed as fraudulent.
Humans First, a political astroturf group founded in San Francisco that is now positioning itself as a conservative, pro-Trump organization fighting the unchecked expansion of AI data centers, has called for a nationwide day of protests tomorrow, July 18. The group frames the effort as giving “grassroots conservatives” a voice against Big Tech elites building massive facilities that supposedly strain power grids, consume vast amounts of water, generate noise, and alter communities. The group, which recieves funding from left wing Silicon Valley billionaires, is ironically accusing Washington politicians of doing the bidding of Silicon Valley billionaires.
With dozens of events planned across more than 20 states, the protests tap into genuine, widespread public concern. Gallup polling has shown roughly 70% of Americans oppose data centers in their own communities, thanks to the efforts of domestic and foreign groups that are trying to thwart the buildout of American technological infrastructure. Local pushback has already delayed or blocked projects worth billions of dollars in American jobs and local tax revenue in the first quarter of 2026 alone.
A closer examination of the individuals actually organizing these protests on the ground tells a very different story. While the national Humans First branding is conservative, many of the boots-on-the-ground leaders driving local events are drawn from the political revolutionary far-left.
In Gilroy, California, the key organizer is a man named Robert Bentson. On the day Charlie Kirk was assassinated, Bentson posted on Facebook celebrating the killing. He described Kirk as a “Nazi piece of trash,” a “white Christian nationalist Nazi,” and someone who engaged in “blatant shit and hateful speech and racism and homophobia.” Bentson wrote that Kirk was “in the fuck around phase and I guess he found out finally,” adding “Good riddance sorry not sorry” and calling it one less “pathetic hate spewing Nazi.” Bentson has also been involved in organizing “No Kings” protests. This is the type of activist Humans First is involving in its coalition.
In New York, the protest in Ticonderoga is being organized by a woman who has publicly stated that women’s “lives…depend on” MAGA supporters not gaining power.
In Nevada, a Biden donor and supporter is handling organization for at least one event. These are not isolated cases or fringe participants. They are the people Humans First is relying on to turn out crowds and execute the “grassroots” day of action it claims represents conservative America.
The contrast is stark. Nationally, Humans First presents itself as a patriotic pushback against AI infrastructure that they cllaim prioritizes corporate profits over American communities. Locally, the faces and voices leading many events belong to activists with clear records of hostility toward conservatives and Trump supporters.
Sure, legitimate questions about infrastructure buildouts exist across the political spectrum. Yet the pattern revealed here raises serious doubts about the authenticity of the “conservative” framing at the organizational level. If the movement were truly driven by conservatives concerned about sovereignty, energy independence, and community self-determination, one would expect local leadership to reflect those values. Instead, key organizers include individuals who openly celebrated the assassination of a prominent conservative voice and who have histories of anti-Trump activism.
This raises the obvious question: Is Humans First building a genuine conservative coalition, or is it deliberately providing cover for left-wing activists to shape the narrative around one of the most consequential technological buildouts in American history? The group’s national messaging may appeal to conservatives worried about Big Tech power, but the personnel executing the protests on the ground remind us of the reality that this astroturf movement is being steered by people whose politics are far detached from the average patriotic American.
Americans have every right to demand transparency, local input, and accountability from developers. They also have a right to know who is really leading the opposition to the reindustrialization of America.
Conservatives can and should ask hard questions about data centers: water, power, noise, land use, local control, foreign ownership, grid reliability, and whether communities are being steamrolled by Big Tech. We recently talked about it with Rachel Keshel from Arizona:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYDk-Ffm-EU
But America also needs compute power, energy dominance, manufacturing, AI infrastructure, and technological sovereignty. That is the strategic terrain the Left understands. If they can’t stop American reindustrialization openly, they will do it through fake “conservative” front groups that turn legitimate local concerns into degrowth politics. Schachtel’s point is simple: know who is holding the clipboard. If Kamala-adjacent funders, Silicon Valley doomer money, and anti-MAGA organizers are steering the protest, the movement is not America First. It is managed sabotage with lawn signs.
I'm not mad about protesting data centers, but they're complete morons of they think money and business owns a political party. Obama was backed by big banking and energy, among others.