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A coalition of communist, socialist and left-wing activist organizations helped drive nearly two weeks of protests and a sprawling encampment in Madison, Wis., following the fatal police shooting of homeless man Corey Ruiz, with the demonstrations later escalating into clashes with police, street fires and blocked intersections, a Fox News Digital investigation has found.

Among the most prominent groups backing the protests are the Madison chapter of the openly communist Party for Socialism and Liberation, Freedom Inc., a Madison-based “social justice” nonprofit, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, a Marxist-Leninist political organization, all of which have publicly backed the protests.

Together, the groups have organized demonstrations, maintained a sprawling protest encampment, demanding the officer’s arrest and repeatedly referring to him as a “killer cop.”

Freedom Inc. also publicly said it bailed out dozens of protesters following recent arrests.

The mobilization reflects a broader pattern in which communist and socialist organizations have used local confrontations with law enforcement to build protest movements and advance broader political agendas, national security experts say.

Before city crews dismantled the encampment Tuesday morning, it had expanded to include dozens of tents, four portable toilets, food distribution areas and memorial displays.

Organizers also brought a raised-fist sculpture from Minneapolis’ George Floyd Square to the encampment.

The initial demonstrations erupted after Ruiz was fatally shot on July 22 after police said officers responded to reports of theft before Ruiz fled on a bicycle.

After several officers caught up with him, authorities said Ruiz pulled a knife, injured one officer during a struggle and was fatally shot by another officer.

Protesters have accused law enforcement of using excessive force and, during several demonstrations, drawing parallels to the 2020 death of Floyd by while he was being restrained by Minneapolis police.

The Madison unrest culminated late Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday when protesters allegedly threw projectiles at city workers, set five street fires and clashed with officers, according to the Madison Police Department.

Police said the unrest resulted in at least 22 arrests, while officers also recovered a handgun from a juvenile protester arrested on unrelated charges.

The Madison unrest culminated late Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday when protesters allegedly threw projectiles at city workers, set five street fires and clashed with officers, according to the Madison Police Department.

Among the organizations helping drive the demonstrations was the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which Fox News Digital has previously identified as a key organizer of nationwide protest movements within the broader activist ecosystem surrounding organizations funded by Marxist tech entrepreneur Neville Roy Singham, who lives in Shanghai.

Earlier this year, a Fox News Digital investigation documented roughly $285 million flowing from Singham into a global network of nonprofits, activist organizations and media operations.

Since the shooting, the Madison chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation has used its social media accounts to mobilize supporters with inflammatory rhetoric, repeatedly referring to the officer involved as a “killer cop.”

The group has helped organize demonstrations, urged followers to “take the streets” and pressured elected officials through coordinated phone and email campaigns demanding the officer’s arrest.

After city crews dismantled the protest encampment Tuesday morning, the Party for Socialism and Liberation posted an Instagram video showing officers clearing flowers, candles and memorial items from the intersection where Ruiz was shot before urging supporters to attend another evening demonstration outside Madison City Hall.

The accompanying caption accused city officials of protecting the officer, stating: “Killer cop … is still walking free. Still on the streets. Still getting paid,” the post read, while identifying the officer by name.

The group concluded the post by writing: “You can destroy a memorial, but you cannot destroy a movement.”