Disaster Activists Are Trying To Force Mastercard To Cut Off Payments To The Far Right - The payment giant’s shareholders will vote on a proposal to set up a “human rights committee” at the company to monitor money flowing to hate groups.

http://archive.li/77Yh1
https://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/mastercard-activists-cut-off-donations-far-right

Activists have successfully forced Mastercard to hold a vote by shareholders on a proposal which, if passed, could see the company monitoring payments to global far-right political leaders and white supremacist groups.

The proposal aims to see Mastercard establish an internal “human rights committee” that would stop designated white supremacist groups and anti-Islam activists, such as Tommy Robinson, from getting access to money sent from donors using the company’s card payment services.

It’s been conceived by US-based political activists SumOfUs, who want to escalate the battle against white supremacists and far-right groups from tech platforms like Facebook, Google, Twitter, Patreon, and PayPal to one of the biggest companies in world finance, in an attempt to choke off donations.



Robinson and several other leading figures in the global far right have been forced in recent months to solicit donations directly on their websites via Mastercard, Visa, and American Express after PayPal banned payments to them. Facebook also disabled the donation function on Robinson’s fan page before deleting it completely.

“Spreading hate involves spending money,” Eoin Dubsky, from SumOfUs, told BuzzFeed News. “Whether it’s paying for online advertising or organising violent rallies, white supremacist groups need financial services from companies like Mastercard.”

Over several months, SumOfUs has been locked in a battle with Mastercard executives behind the scenes in order to get the new committee proposal put to the shareholders ahead of the company’s June annual general meeting.

It would see the formation of a “human rights committee” at the board level, which would monitor financial transactions with designated hate groups.

Documents seen by BuzzFeed News reveal that the US Securities and Exchange Commission has given the green light for shareholders to get the chance to vote on the formation of the committee, despite staunch opposition from the Mastercard board and executives.

In the material to be sent to shareholders, the activists refer to a website called Blood Money, which tracks online payments to white supremacist groups from the likes of Mastercard, American Express, and Stripe. The website currently claims that Mastercard services are being used by groups like Counter-Currents Publishing, Covenant People’s Ministry, the United West, Sultan Knish, and the Fitzgerald Griffin Foundation.

SumOfUs has also pointed to the activity of Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. The former English Defence League founder is running as an independent in May’s European election.

In November 2018, PayPal banned donations to the anti-Islam activist, with the online payment company saying that its services wouldn’t “be used to promote hate, violence, or other forms of intolerance that is discriminatory”.

More recently, Robinson has been calling on his global network of supporters to donate to his election campaign through his website, which allows payments from Mastercard.

“Having a Mastercard logo on their website also gives these groups a veneer of legitimacy, and allows those who want to donate to do so quickly and quietly,” Dubsky told BuzzFeed News.

“Mastercard also benefits, pocketing a transaction fee for each purchase or donation.”

Mastercard declined requests for comment, pointing instead to the board’s position laid out in the information sent to shareholders ahead of the general meeting.

“Mastercard is committed to treating all people fairly and with dignity, and our interest in human rights extends to all areas in which our business is involved and where we have particular expertise,” it reads. “The Board does not believe that establishing a separate human rights committee is necessary to properly exercise its oversight of this important area.”

It’s unclear whether the proposal stands a chance of succeeding at June’s meeting. But the move to confront such a big, mainstream company like Mastercard over issues like the funding of white supremacy and the far right comes after action from smaller, online financial platforms like PayPal and Patreon in the area.

PayPal has banned payments to Robinson, US far-right group Proud Boys, and Canadian anti-Islam activist Laura Loomer. It also acted against several US anti-fascist groups because the company had no tolerance for groups that promoted “hate” and “violence”.

Last year, Patreon banned YouTuber Sargon of Akkad over a 2015 video that featured the Gamergate leader repeatedly saying the n-word in a Google Hangout with the alt-right. According to the New York Times, Sargon of Akkad, whose real name is Carl Benjamin, had 3,000 subscribers and was being paid $12,000 a month on Patreon when he was removed from the site.

In a recent YouTube video, Benjamin and Robinson talked about being de-platformed by social media companies. But Robinson also suggested that he has long-term fears beyond the big tech companies.

“I am being completely un-personed,” Robinson said. “What’s next—my mobile-phone contract?”

 

[Unog]

"We have to stop these FUCKING NAZIS! We'll do so by acting like nazis!"

"Hey, uh, guys, if you're acting like nazis what's to keep people from feeling sympathetic towards the folks you're using nazi tactics against, who have done nothing wrong other than state opinions and views you disagree with?"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP NAZI!"

Yeah, this won't backfire at all if they succeed, nope.

 

[Mewtwo_Rain]

I think they've been around since much before that, at least in Europe.

Exactly correct. Antifa or Antifasciste (I think that's what they were called in Nazi Germany) Party was a group of Communist who were just as violent as Nazi's.

--End response:

Edit: Any actions these companies take enforcing the leftist narrative/political think is dangerous long term.

 

[BILLY MAYS]

 

[Stormy Daniel's Lawyer]

Cool, cool because radicalizing the far right is a good idea considering they have the guns and the will to take out leftists.

Why are leftists not afraid of antagonizing the right but extremely afraid of upsetting Muslims/Islam?

The left live near tall buildings..No one wants to be thrown off tall buildings, right?

 

[JosephTX]

Political affiliation is going to become the next legally-protected class at this rate, up there with race, religion and sex. Not that that's a bad thing, but the fact it came to this, that in America, you had to make it a law "you can't unperson someone for thinking differently" is troubling.

Fuck that then the commies will get state protection

 

[Shaved Kiwis]

This is basically the tactic Nintendo used to go after Chinese companies selling piracy devices. Fucked up their ability to process payments to keep normies from buying flashcarts. It's pretty effective when you wanna block the purchase of goods, but doesn't do all that much to stop far right people from getting donations. It might effect their t-shirt sales, but nothing stops people from sending them cash in the mail. Hell, if anything they can really use this to drive up donations. Talk about how them evil Jew bankers are finally seeing them as enough of a problem to need to take them down. And how for only 63 cents a day their listeners can help fight the ZOG from the comfort of their own homes.

 

[Pope Negro Joe the XIIIth]

Cool, cool because radicalizing the far right is a good idea considering they have the guns and the will to take out leftists.

Why are leftists not afraid of antagonizing the right but extremely afraid of upsetting Muslims/Islam?

Because they're still living in a world where the "far right" is neo-nazis and other actual far-right groups that no one in their right mind would support. They're just using the term to smear the entire right wing of politics because they think they're still dealing with a group that will do what the right has normally done, which is take the high road.

Problem is that that's not who they're dealing with anymore. They've basically fought tooth and nail to, for lack of a better term, radicalize the right by trying to silence, fire, and remove any discussion that isn't their "Goody gumdrops, teddy bear & rainbows" bullshit. They think they've killed conservative opinions because they never see them in their echo chambers. They think that "the right" is the same dumb dying beast it was 30 years ago.

They don't understand what level of vitriol they've actually created towards themselves and they honestly think there's never going to be a swing back even though it's headed straight towards their eyes.

As to the Muslim thing, it's mainly that no matter what kind of happy horseshit they spin about "religion of peace," they know deep down that islamic terrorism is real, dangerous, and completely willing to kill them.


Eta: @hood LOLCOW is there even bait on that hook anymore? Not sarcastic here, I'm actually interested to know.

 

[Coldgrip]

They didn't, did they?

 

[Wesley Willis]

What kind of true right-wing nationalist is using credit cards, anyway? I'll bet they also think Federal Reserve Notes have value, too.

Any true right wingers knows you use BitCoin or mint your own gold Deutsche Marks.

 

[Pope Negro Joe the XIIIth]

What kind of true right-wing nationalist is using credit cards, anyway? I'll bet they also think Federal Reserve Notes have value, too.

Any true right wingers knows you use BitCoin or mint your own gold Deutsche Marks.

I only accept Krugerrands delivered by underground courier personally.

 

[QI 541]

Okay if that's how you see it.

You're a white supremacist. Why? Why do I have to prove it? And saying you're not only proves you're a fascist you racist.

There, there's the entire issue with all of this.

Maybe the actual issue is having a society where a single private corporation run by private unelected individuals can destroy it.

 

[Maxliam]

Nah, they'll just have to find a different avenue to take donations is all. Minor inconvenience at worst. Meanwhile people will see all of the political shit MasterCard is doing and they'll use a competing service.

If they listen to these dirt poor danger hairs who don't even use their product, they deserve to go out of business. Look at what's happening to dicks sporting goods, they removed "assault rifles " from their shelves and it's hurting them.

 

[Splendid]

This is something that totally won't be abused if passed. It's not as if the definition is widened and narrowed all the time just to define an "enemy" as a supremacist or nationalist.

If the definition keeps getting widened, angry Republicans might want to take a look into the (largely government created) oligopoly in the payment processing industry, and the industry's only move might be to set strict limits on who they can't process payments for.
Imagine if PayPal was required by industry regulations to have Null as a customer again.

 

[Takodachi]

Unlikely this is gonna happen. I dont believe companies are moral or immoral, they are simply amoral, they dont care about sides as long as they make the most money possible.
Sure, they may cede something from time to time, but using such a wide umbrella would hurt their business, badly.

 

[GC_Positive]

They'd never stop processing payments from Apple or Nike for using slave labour but they'll stop you from feeding your family if you say a gamer word.

 

[Ginger Piglet]

SumOfUs are a shower of cunts. They keep shitting up my inbox (because I once signed one of their petitions) with requests for money to ban glyphosate because REEEE MonSatan or ban nuclear power because muh Chernobyl. They are basically hipsters conning themselves into thinking they're improving the world.

A thousand dicks in SumOfUs.

Also, this proposal is fucking stupid. Obvious thin end of wedge is obvious.

 

[Dante Alighieri]

Maybe the actual issue is having a society where a single private corporation run by private unelected individuals can destroy it.

Government protects these "private corporations" from competition.

 

[GrungyLawnChlorinate]

If they listen to these dirt poor danger hairs who don't even use their product, they deserve to go out of business. Look at what's happening to dicks sporting goods, they removed "assault rifles " from their shelves and it's hurting them.

That may be true for a retailer, but we're talking about a bank here who has a monopoly on one of the few forms of payment that run the world. They are backed by billionaires who are untouchable, they are backed by the most powerful organizations in the world. They can't lose here, and they know it. They are not fighting this war for profit, they have practically unlimited funds, they are fighting for power and control. They could lose 100s of millions a year over this and still not flinch. I'd wager that deplatforming and punishing dissent is more profitable in the long run. These moves are to cement political power, which is the path to the land of limitless graft.

The power they'll wield when they finally topple all western nations will be far more lucrative than piddly billions.

 

[Ruin]

Maybe the actual issue is having a society where a single private corporation run by private unelected individuals can destroy it.

This isn't a Wamart banking licenses are granted by the federal government and can be revoked for misuse or abuse. The problem is there's no political will because politicans from both parties recieve kickbacks from these same entities.

 

[PantsFreeZone]

This is the next step in the neverending efforts to bully, cajole and fear monger people into continually allowing and never speaking out against some Leftist agenda like abortion or gay rights because Leftists know how unpopular every single one of their proposed policies are outside of the circle of mouthbreathers they employ, the zombified metropolises and social media.

Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Chase, PayPal, Patreon, Stripe, etc. etc. are all in on the scheme that is basically designed to create an impossible financial barrier to any challengers to their domination of the channels/tools most effective in spreading propaganda and building new, free spaces to replace legacy corporate and tech spaces.

In the end, only violence of the yellow vest nature will ever stop this uninterrupted march towards a 1984 dystopian reality unless someone wins a massive lawsuit that cripples one of these horseshit enterprises which then moves to the Supreme Court and creates a precedent that political beliefs are not a valid reason to curb anyone's earning, spending nor fiduciary goals/responsibilities.

TLDR; The Jews are winning.