Paypal has suspended several accounts related to far-right and far-left political groups in a political balancing act aimed at deplatforming "extremist views", leading some to question the basis of these and other bans.
Paypal has suspended three accounts tied to left-wing militant Antifa groups and two tied to the far-right organization Proud Boys, a company spokesman said, calling it an effort to strike a “balance between upholding free expression and open dialogue and protecting principles of tolerance, diversity and respect.”
The accounts of “Proud Boys” as well as the private account of group founder Gavin McInnes were removed, as well as the accounts of Atlanta Antifa, Antifa Sacramento and the Anti-Fascist Network, a Paypal spokesman told Newsweek.
The Antifa groups responded to the decision by complaining on Twitter about “false equivalence” and being “lumped in together with the fascists” over “taking a principled stand against racism.”
If this is correct, Paypal is making a ridiculous false equivalence. This is where liberal "both sides" discourse leads. https://t.co/qg49QyNFmZ
— Atlanta Antifascists (@afainatl) November 9, 2018
So @PayPal have taken down our account in their purge against the far-right Gavin McInnes, Tommy Robinson etc Completely outrageous that people taking a principled stand against racism are lumped in together with the fascists. Tell them they got it wrong.https://t.co/Z8xegmHx1i
— Anti-Fascist Network (@AntiFascistNetw) November 9, 2018
Paypal said that the simultaneous shutdowns were part of an effort to “strike a balance” and that their actions are “values-driven” rather than “political.”
The company has already removed several Antifa related accounts since last year, according to
BuzzFeed reporter Blake Montgomery.
The company quietly terminated the accounts of four antifa groups between December 2017 and March 2018, including the prominent Rose City group in Portland, the source said.
— Blake Montgomery