On October 12, controversial billionaire George Soros’s Open Society Foundation (OSF) announced that it would close multiple offices worldwide. The organisation is also in the process of staff reduction. Notably, the OSF aims to cut over 40% of its staff. It is believed that the organisation would concentrate on “targetted areas”.
George Soros Shutters Offices Across The World. Resources are now being concentrated and focused on a few targets. https://t.co/lfGlTYEDbb
— Sanjeev Sanyal (@sanjeevsanyal) October 15, 2023
In an email to its employees, OSF’s vice president of programs, Binaifer Nowrojee, said that the board decision from June mandated a reduction of staff and a decrease in the number of operational locations. Most of the closed offices are in Africa, and two are in Baltimore and Barcelona.
The offices that are going to be affected by the decision include Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, Kampala in Uganda, Cape Town, Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Abuja in Nigeria and Freetown in Sierra Leone. Offices that will remain open are in Nairobi in Kenya, Dakar in Senegal and Johannesburg. OSF has been working on the reconstruction of its works since 2021, and the organisation expects it to be largely completed by the end of 2023.
Notably, the restructuring of the staff will end up bringing it down to almost 500 from 1,700 in 2021. The organisation claimed that it wanted to shift from extensive due diligence before making grants to a greater focus on the impact of the grants, which will require a smaller staff.
Furthermore, it would adopt a new “opportunity” model of operations with unclear details. Those who were affected by the cuts in Africa were invited to apply for roles within their jurisdiction. However, they can only apply if they would relocate at their own expense.
Notably, in August this year, OSF announced that it would significantly reduce its funding within the European Union. However, the organisation pointed out that would not mean it would be leaving Europe.
The OSF at that time proposed an 80% cut of staff in Berlin, at least 60% in Brussels, and an unspecified number in London. The strategic chances were in sync with the model suggested by Alex Soros, George’s son, who took over as head of OSF’s board this year.
At that time, the critics claimed that OSF was committing a “strategic mistake” by reducing support for human rights, political participation, and digital protections in the European Union, considering the Russia-Ukraine war, the rise of far-right governments, and more. Furthermore, they claimed that it would create opportunities for conservative philanthropies to support anti-abortion and anti-LGBT rights organisations in Europe.
Soros’s org is unwelcomed in his home country
Notably, Soros’s organisation is unwelcome in his home country Hungary due to concerns over its involvement in illegal immigration. The Hungarian government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, passed the “Stop Soros” law in 2018 to limit Soros’s influence. The law criminalises aid to illegal immigrants and restricts the role of NGOs in asylum cases. Despite opposition from the European Union, Orbán remained resolute in his anti-immigration stance, considering it a cultural and civilisational issue.
Geroge Soros wants to topple Modi-led government
In February 2023, George Soros inadvertently revealed what we have known for a long time – that the billionaire is eyeing a ‘colour revolution’ in India. The term ‘colour revolutions’ originated from a series of popular uprisings in the early 2000s in Eastern Europe following the fall of communism.
It has since been used to describe similar movements in the Middle East and Asia. The protests often involve mass demonstrations calling for free and fair elections or for the removal of authoritarian leaders. These types of uprisings have been criticised as foreign-instigated attempts to destabilise regimes for the benefit of Western powers.
George Soros and his vicious ecosystem of NGOs, activists and journalists had been trying to prove PM Modi as an ‘electoral autocrat’ who needed to be ousted for this country’s ‘greater good’. And it has been a work in progress for a long time.
The Hungarian-American billionaire has several intellectuals on his payroll, including the former PM Manmohan Singh’s daughter Amrita Singh. Not to forget the curious case of ‘author’ and ‘social activist’ Harsh Mander, who had been at the forefront of creating civil unrest during the Anti-CAA protests.
In 2018, George Soros-funded NGO Sherpa attempted to thwart India’s defence deal with France and stall the delivery of Rafale fighter jets.
Moreover, Open Society Foundations (OSF) run by the billionaire had funded the Socio-Legal Information Centre (SLIC), which had been active in seeking the repeal of the sedition law currently used against anti-India elements.
