CrowdJustice, a UK crowdfunding platform, has blocked a fundraiser for Palestine Action's legal challenge against its proscription (ban) in the UK. The platform cited US sanctions against the direct action group as the reason.
CrowdJustice uses Stripe, a US payment processor, to handle transactions. A spokesperson for the platform told The Guardian that Stripe "cannot support accounts or transactions" linked to Palestine Action.
Palestine Action is mounting a challenge at the UK supreme court to overturn the ban imposed on the group. The legal challenge requires funding, which the group sought to raise through CrowdJustice.
The blocking of the fundraiser illustrates how US sanctions regimes can affect UK-based services and charities even when operating within British law. CrowdJustice is registered in the UK but depends on American payment infrastructure to operate, leaving it subject to US financial controls.
Palestine Action was proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000. The group has said it engages in direct action against what it describes as Israeli apartheid. UK authorities designated it as a terrorist organisation in November 2023. The proscription prevents the group from operating and makes it an offence to support or invite support for it, though individuals challenging the ban can proceed through the courts.
The supreme court has already ruled that at least one co-founder of Palestine Action can challenge the proscription order. That challenge now requires legal representation and associated costs.
The inability to crowdfund reflects a wider issue for organisations facing US sanctions or restrictions. Many digital payment systems globally rely on American infrastructure or American companies, which creates chokepoints when US policy restricts transactions. UK law permits legal challenges to proscription orders, but funding those challenges can become practically difficult if international payment networks withdraw services based on US rules.