A year ago, New Yorker Nate Friedman, 27, picked up a camera and microphone and hit the streets to expose the truth behind demonstrators in his town — covering everything from voter fraud to the activists holding signs that label Israel an apartheid state and call for United States to stop funding it.
Along the way, he uncovered some eye-opening revelations, including the funding behind anti-Israel protests and the widespread lack of knowledge among many demonstrators about the realities in the Middle East.
In just one year, Friedman has built a substantial online presence, amassing over 230,000 followers on Instagram and more than 200,000 subscribers on YouTube.
Friedman has developed a distinctive approach to conducting interviews. He nods, listens attentively, avoids confrontation, and refrains from correcting misinformation on the spot — creating an atmosphere in which interviewees feel comfortable enough to speak freely. In a recent video, Friedman spoke with a woman wearing a keffiyeh and several pins on her jacket. One read, “This Jew says no to Palestinian genocide,” another said, “Israel is a Terrorist” and the third supported the anti-Zionist Democratic candidate for NYC mayor: “Zohran for New York City.”
“Do you want Israel destroyed?” Friedman asked. “Yes,” the woman replied. She went on to claim that Iran targets only military sites, not civilians. “I would love them to assassinate Smotrich, Ben-Gvir and Netanyahu.”
“Would you say it’s fine if millions of Jews are dead in the process?” Friedman pressed. The woman seemed to have no problem with that. She went on to say that Israel has no right to defend itself, but the Palestinians do. She also insisted that Hamas had only targeted army bases on Oct. 7, but some civilians got killed along the way. “IDF only knows how to kill unarmed civilians,” she announced.
Friedman provides commentary following each clip, fact-checking and correcting misinformation often presented during his interviews. In this particular case, the protesters insisted that many Iranian women went to the streets freely without wearing hijabs and called for the destruction of Israel.
“I didn’t find any credible report of women without hijab calling for the destruction of Israel in Iran,” Friedman commented. “There have been many anti-hijab protests that have resulted in arrests — most famously that of Mahsa Amini, who was killed in police custody for wearing an improper hijab,” he said.
In an interview with The Journal, Friedman said that he began his YouTube channel interviewing immigrants.
“I asked migrants who are they voting for, and that reached over 700,000 viewers. I revealed that there were some people who were here illegally and have heard that they could be voting in the election and that raised a lot of awareness to potential voter fraud.”
Friedman, an experienced videographer who has worked for other creators and organizations, began posting videos, each receiving anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of views.
His videos can range from being eye-opening and informative to the absurd and comical — such as the case of Karin Schall, associate director of development and special events manager at Lincoln Center.
In the video titled “I Exposed No Kings Protestors,” Friedman is seen interviewing an immigrant who repeatedly curses President Trump using explicit language, while Schall does everything she can to interrupt the recording. At one point, she begins blowing a red whistle and holds up a yellow sign with an arrow pointing at Friedman that reads: “Right Wing Troll.”
Friedman revealed that he had found Schall – on social media – at about 100 other protests around the city. “It’s clearly a very well established industry,” he said referring to organized protests. “Rise and Resist is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Friedman said that Schall was probably assigned to him that day and that her “job” was to stop him from conducting interviews with protesters.
Friedman believes that many protesters are being paid — anywhere between $25 to $30 an hour. He claims that George Soros and his son are among the largest funders of anti-Israel demonstrators, though not the only ones. “It’s something I started investigating,” he said.
What stood out to Friedman at the No Kings protest was a conversation with a Jewish protester who supported Zohran Mamdani. “It gives a little context as to how Mamdani won,” said Friedman said. “There are over 1 million Jewish people in NYC, and to become mayor, you need their vote. If most had supported Cuomo, he would have won.”
When Friedman asked the man whether he believed Hamas could coexist with Jews in Israel, the protester replied, “I can’t speak for Hamas.” Friedman added, “The fact is, their leaders have been recorded multiple times saying they want to kill every Jew on earth. It’s not just about Israel — it’s Christians too. Hamas has put out videos saying Islam is the only religion they want across the globe.”
Many of Friedman’s interviews leave viewers stunned — often questioning whether the protesters truly believe what they’re saying or are simply repeating talking points for pay.
One man, holding a large handmade sign that read “I Stand with Iran,” told Friedman he was with Veterans for Peace.
“We are standing against the killing of innocent people in Palestine,” the man said. “Netanyahu has extended this war, faking peace negotiations. Israel now attacked Iran unprovoked, under the guise that they have a nuclear weapon. They’ve been talking about that nuclear weapon for 25 years. Iran would never want to nuke America.”
“What about the supreme leaders who say ‘Death to America’?” Friedman asked. “It’s bulls—, that’s part of our propaganda,” the man replied.
Later, while editing the footage, Friedman inserted clips showing crowds in Iran chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” along with a speech by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declaring: “Death to America is not just a slogan — it’s our policy.”
Asked how he manages to stay quiet while hearing their lies, Friedman explained: “I think that I’m there to do a job. I have the responsibility to deliver the truth to the people who watch me,” he said. “There’s a little bit of irony. It was well-documented in the Democratic Party platform to be kind and tolerant of many different views — but in practice, this is not the case. I don’t even give my opinion in the videos on the street, but I’ve had people urge others to stop someone from talking. It’s kind of ironic, because they say, ‘be kind to everyone.’”
The YouTuber believes that millions of dollars are being funneled into organized demonstrations — a central focus of his current investigations.
“The New York Post reported that thousands of dollars were given to the Columbia protesters who set up the encampment,” he said. “If you multiply that by all the other encampments across the country and by movements like Rise and Resist, the Palestinian Youth Movement, and Within Our Lifetime, you’re talking about millions of dollars.”
One of the websites reportedly used to recruit protesters is Crowds on Demand. A visit to their site reveals the following message: “[This] is your home for impactful advocacy campaigns, demonstrations, PR stunts, crowds for hire, and corporate events. Services available nationwide. We can set up protests, rallies, demonstrations …”
Talking about New York Jews who supported Mamdani, Friedman said, “It’s interesting to see how Jewish people [are] supporting a man who doesn’t recognize Israel’s right to be a Jewish state.” Referring to the woman wearing pins supporting Mamdani, Hamas and Hezbollah, he added, “This woman, living in America, is pro-Hamas, pro-Hezbollah and, according to her pin, she is Jewish. If you ever wondered how there were Jews who supported Hitler, then now you have known one of them.”
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