PayPal says it will cut off its services to hate groups and other users collecting donations to promote violence and racial intolerance in the wake of Saturday’s deadly clashes at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The online payment platform condemned extremist groups ― including neo-Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan ― in a blog post Tuesday and vowed to crack down on their use of the company’s services.
Advertisement
“The events in Charlottesville are yet another disturbing example of the many forms that racism and hatred manifest,” Franz Paasche, PayPal’s senior vice president of corporate affairs and communications, wrote in the blog post.
“PayPal will – as we consistently have in the past – limit or end customer relationships and prohibit the use of our services by those that meet the thresholds of violating our policy,” he continued.
Paasche also acknowledged the difficulty in navigating the “fine lines” between “opinion-based, offensive websites” and those who violate their Acceptable Use Policy.
Advertisement
“Maintaining the necessary balance between protecting the principles of tolerance, diversity and respect for people of all backgrounds with upholding legitimate free expression and open dialogue can be difficult, but we do our very best to achieve it,” Paasche said.
PayPal released the statement just hours after the Southern Poverty Law Center published a report Tuesday suggesting the company’s services played an integral role in helping organizers raise money for Saturday’s white nationalist rally.
“Organizers, speakers, and individual attendees relied on the platform to move funds in the run up to the ultimately deadly event,” SPLC reported.
SPLC listed several right-wing extremists who used PayPal to help fund the event, including Jason Kessler, the main organizer behind the “Unite the Right” rally, and Richard Spencer, a white nationalist and alt-right personality.
As of Wednesday, PayPal accounts associated with Spencer, Kessler and several other hate groups had been suspended.
Advertisement
The company plans to remove at least 34 organizations, including two groups that sell gun accessories specifically for the purpose of killing Muslims, according to The Washington Post.
Still, SPLC and other advocacy groups questioned why it took so long for PayPal to take action.
“Despite the company’s Acceptable Use Policy explicitly banning ‘the promotion of hate, violence, [and] racial intolerance,’ ... organizers and attendees were allowed to utilize PayPal’s surface before and after the events in Charlottesville,” SPLC said.
Rashad Robinson, executive director of racial justice organization Color of Change, said his group has been working with PayPal to “cut off a number of hate groups that they allowed for years to generate revenue” using their services.
Advertisement
“We appreciate the company’s willingness to take [a] stand against violent racist extremism after months of pressure, “Robinson told Mic. “And we hope to push them further.”
Justin Higgs, a spokesperson for PayPal told HuffPost that there’s an internal group focused on thoroughly monitoring potentially problematic users, but noted that it can be challenging to pinpoint offensive rhetoric versus the promotion of hate.
“Sometimes there will be distasteful material, but its not quite over the line of violating policy,” Higgs said.
Several other financial services companies have taken a stand against right-wing extremists in the wake of the Charlottesville violence, including crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo.
Advertisement
GoFundMe, one of the most popular fundraising sites, shut down several campaigns seeking donations to benefit the James Alex Fields Jr., the 20-year-old accused of deliberately ramming his car into a crowd of counterprotesters Saturday in Charlottesville, killing a woman, Reuters reported.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.