A group of communist, socialist, and left-wing activists helped organize protests and a big camp in Madison. The protests turned violent, with clashes with police and street fires.

Some groups supporting the protests are the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Freedom Inc., and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. They have all publicly supported the protests.

These groups organized demonstrations and kept the protest camp running. They demanded the officer who shot Corey Ruiz be arrested and called him a 'killer cop'.

There were pictures of protesters marching through Madison and scenes of unrest at night after the protests about the police shooting of Corey Ruiz.

A probe found that 600 groups with $2 billion in revenue organized 3,000 May Day protests in a 'red-blue' alliance.

Experts say this shows a pattern where communist and socialist groups use local conflicts with police to build protest movements and push their agendas.

Before the camp was removed, it had many tents, toilets, food areas, and memorial displays. A raised-fist sculpture from Minneapolis' George Floyd Square was also brought to the camp.

The protests started after Corey Ruiz was shot by police on July 22. Police said they responded to a theft report, and Ruiz fled on a bike before pulling a knife and being shot.

Protesters said the police used too much force and compared it to the death of George Floyd in 2020.

The protests in Madison got worse, with protesters throwing things at city workers, setting street fires, and clashing with police. At least 22 people were arrested.

A protester called Madison a 'corrupt city' during a speech against the police after the deadly shooting.

A raised-fist sculpture from George Floyd Square in Minneapolis stood at the protest camp in Madison, Wisconsin, on July 25, 2026.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation is one of the groups helping with the protests.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation has been identified as a key organizer of nationwide protests. It has ties to a Marxist tech entrepreneur named Neville Roy Singham.

Earlier this year, it was found that Singham's network got around $285 million, which went to nonprofits, activist groups, and media operations.

Since the shooting, the Party for Socialism and Liberation used social media to mobilize supporters, calling the officer a 'killer cop' and urging people to protest.

After the camp was removed, the Party for Socialism and Liberation posted a video of officers clearing the area and urged supporters to attend another protest.

There was a video of protests over the police shooting leading to a fiery night after the camp in Madison was cleared.

A house panel subpoenaed three left-wing groups in a probe of $39 million tied to Marxist tycoon Neville Singham.

The Party for Socialism and Liberation accused city officials of protecting the officer and posted about it on social media.

The group said, 'You can destroy a memorial, but you cannot destroy a movement'.

After the Party for Socialism and Liberation promoted a protest, people went back to the streets, and there were multiple arrests, street fires, and blocked intersections.

The activist group has repeatedly called for the officer's arrest, but the police have not publicly named the officers involved in the shooting.

Freedom Inc. is another group that has been organizing protests.

Freedom Inc. is a Madison-based activist nonprofit that wants to abolish police and defund law enforcement.

Freedom Inc. claimed it bailed out 50 people from the Dane County Public Safety Building after arrests and said it shut down a street in front of the jail.

Fox News Digital could not verify Freedom Inc.'s claim and reached out for comment.

Protesters blocked access to bars in downtown Madison during demonstrations following the fatal police shooting of Corey Ruiz.

Freedom Inc. reported around $4.9 million in revenue in 2024, including $1.24 million in government grants.

Freedom Inc. and the Party for Socialism and Liberation jointly published a post calling for another protest outside the Dane County Courthouse.

The post said, 'All out for Freedom, Inc.! Don't arrest me, arrest the cops!' and urged supporters to attend.

Freedom Inc. organized a 'mass mobilization' where protesters climbed onto Madison City Hall and hung a banner reading 'Arrest the Killer Cop'.

After the camp was removed, Freedom Inc. accused the mayor of sending 'armed militia to raid the memorial site'.

Freedom Inc.'s platform includes abolishing police, defunding law enforcement, and closing jails and ICE detention centers.

The group said police and ICE are 'tearing families apart, racially profiling our people, criminalizing poverty, and inflicting violence'.

A Democrat socialist running for Wisconsin governor has pushed for 'abolishing the police'.

People gathered at the memorial and protest camp after the fatal police shooting of Corey Ruiz in Madison, Wisconsin.

The wider network of groups supporting the protests includes Fight Back! News and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.

Freedom Inc.'s organizing drew support from Fight Back! News, which published a joint post highlighting its work at the protest camp.

Fight Back! News has writers and staff who are members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, a far-left group.

Freedom Inc. also got national support, with a joint post calling for 'Justice for Corey Ruiz' and 'Community Control of the Police Now!'

The Freedom Road Socialist Organization promoted the demonstrations and collaborated with Freedom Inc. on protest posters.

A state representative, Francesca Hong, who is running for governor and has called for 'abolishing the police', appeared at the memorial site.

Madison police arrested a protester near the intersection of Williamson and Baldwin streets after the camp was removed.

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A Madison resident said city officials should have removed the camp sooner and not let it grow.

The resident said, 'They should have given them maybe 48 hours and then go in there and just push it out of the way.'

The resident thought the city's handling of the situation was 'an embarrassment'.

The mayor defended the city's response, saying officials offered shelter and hotel accommodations before clearing the camp.

A protester held a memorial poster for Corey Ruiz during a demonstration in Madison, Wisconsin.

Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.

You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.