PayPal has defunded the Free Speech Union in the UK, stating that it was closing FSU’s account immediately because the organisation had breached the company’s ‘Acceptable Use Policy’.
No further detail has been provided by PayPal on its action against FSU UK, which is a partner of Free Speech Union South Africa launched by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) in June this year.
Dozens of MPs are calling on ministers to intervene. In a letter to Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg and Financial Secretary to the Treasury Andrew Griffith they noted that the ‘common theme’ among organisations and individuals that have had their accounts closed is that they are all prominent ‘champions of free speech’ who have expressed ‘critical, non-conforming views on lockdown policies’.
‘It is therefore hard to avoid construing PayPal’s actions as an orchestrated, politically motivated move to silence critical or dissenting views on these topics within the U.K.’
The letter to ministers had 42 signatories, including 21 Tory MPs and 15 Tory peers, four cross-bench peers, a Labour peer and a Labour MP.
They said the Government should demand an explanation from PayPal and release the donations it had ‘confiscated unfairly and without justification’.
‘The Free Speech Union takes no line of its own on issues like gender critical theory or lockdowns. It simply defends the right of both sides to be heard within the limits permitted by law.
‘So we have to assume that PayPal considers that on controversial issues like these only one side of the argument should be heard.
‘PayPal is part of the infrastructure of the payments system in a world which is increasingly going cashless.’
The letter said this was a serious and direct interference with the very idea of free speech.
‘It is probably illegal under anti-discrimination provisions of the Equalities Act, which prohibits discrimination in the provision of services on the basis of belief.
‘But if it is not, then consideration should be given to making it illegal.’
FSU SA Director Sara Gon said the organisation was deeply troubled by PayPal’s actions, and would be monitoring developments closely.