🇺🇸 In the United States
Being paid to attend or participate in a protest is not automatically illegal. Companies that provide paid demonstrators actually exist, and they operate openly. One example is a firm that hires people for advocacy campaigns and PR demonstrations.

What is illegal depends on the conduct:

Violence, property damage, or blocking critical infrastructure can be criminal offenses regardless of payment.

If the protest involves acting on behalf of a foreign government without registering under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), that can be illegal.

Fraudulent activity — such as pretending to be a grassroots citizen group when it’s secretly funded by a foreign state — can trigger legal issues.

🛑 When payment becomes a legal problem
Payment crosses into illegality when it involves:

Foreign influence operations without disclosure

Incitement to violence or riots

Interference with government operations

Coordinated actions that violate sta