Tech guru and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has been called a “hypocrite” for donating millions of dollars to groups advocating for the elimination or abolition of the police despite spending more than $40 million on personal security, has RadarOnline.com found out.
Investigative reporter Lee Fang has revealed that the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) has donated $3 million to PolicyLink, the organization behind it DefundPolice.org.
The group aims to “reduce the role of police in communities and enable alternative visions for public safety”, although it does not specify what those alternatives are.
CZI also donated more than $2.5 million to Solidaire, a group that wants to abolish the police. Solidaire claims to have been instrumental in scrapping the Oakland Police Department’s $18 million budget.
Solidaire reported in June 2022 that their Defund the Police for Funders program ran the “Anti-Police Terror Project”, which resulted in the Oakland Police Department’s budget being slashed.
CZI provides annual funds to a community group affiliated with the Redwood City Police Department, which guards both Meta’s headquarters and CZI’s offices. This raises questions about the foundation’s commitment to its stated ideals.
According to Fang’s report, the billionaire’s safety has increased as Zuckerberg continued to fund anti-police organizations.
In 2023 alone, Meta allocated $14 million for personal security details, up from $10 million in previous years. Zuckerberg is reportedly allowed to use this money for additional staff, equipment, services, housing improvements and other security-related needs.
The company justifies the high security costs by citing Zuckerberg’s “position and importance to Meta” and that he “asked to receive only $1 in annual salary and receive no bonus payments, stock awards, or other incentive payments.”