An online crowdfunder to raise funds for the UK Supreme Court challenge to the ban on Palestine Action has been blocked because of US sanctions linked to the group.
CrowdJustice, a UK company, said it could not host a fundraiser for legal fees to challenge the proscription after identifying that its payment processor, the US firm Stripe, “cannot support accounts or transactions” connected to Palestine Action.
The decision prevents supporters from using the platform to collect donations for the Supreme Court case, which seeks to overturn the government’s ban on the direct action group. The move follows legal developments earlier this year, when the Supreme Court allowed a co-founder of Palestine Action to challenge the proscription.
The block highlights how US sanctions and the involvement of US-based payment processors can affect fundraising for legal and political causes in the UK, even when platforms themselves are UK companies.
Haroon Siddique is the Guardian’s legal affairs correspondent.
Source: theguardian.com
