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The Chilling of Free Speech: From Nigel Farage to Everyday Citizens

AP Photo/Virginia Mayo

The authoritarian left is at it again. This story comes from across the Pond, but what is happening to former Brexit leader Nigel Farage is also happening to folks in the United States. It should serve as a clarion call to those who know their views might not line up with the wokeism that has dominated corporate America over the past few years.

Farage, the prominent Brexit leader, posted a video on social media revealing that he and his family are being denied bank accounts in the United Kingdom, which he views as an attempt to force him out of the country. Farage warns that if this trend continues, it could extend to others who express their opinions on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, resulting in the loss of finances. He suspects that personal animosity and his pro-Brexit stance are possible reasons behind the account closures, and he plans to take legal action.

On Twitter, Farage posted a video with the following caption:

The establishment are trying to force me out of the UK by closing my bank accounts.

I have been given no explanation or recourse as to why this is happening to me.

This is serious political persecution at the very highest level of our system.

If they can do it to me, they can do it to you too

In the video, he said:

But do you know what? Unless this rot is stopped, in time to come, you at home may say things on Facebook or Twitter that may result in you losing your bank accounts, too. That, I think, is how scary this whole thing is.

Unfortunately, Farage is not the only one who has been on the wrong end of the authoritarian left using the banking system to target their political opposition. Luckily, there are people in positions of power in the United States who are willing to resist this troubling trend.

Shareholder activists from the Free Enterprise Project (FEP) are presenting a proposal at Mastercard’s annual shareholder meeting to combat the issue of “debanking” conservative individuals and organizations, while safeguarding civil liberties. The proposal calls for an evaluation by the Board of Directors to assess the oversight of discrimination risks based on various factors and their potential impact on constitutionally protected civil rights:

Mastercard’s virtual annual shareholder meeting on June 27 will address these concerns and assess the company’s adherence to its own standards of promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, irrespective of beliefs or other factors.

FEP’s proposal at Mastercard (Proposal #6) requests that the Board of Directors conduct an evaluation and issue a report detailing how it oversees risks related to discrimination against individuals based on their race, color, religion (including religious views), sex, national origin, or political views, and whether such discrimination may impact individuals’ exercise of their constitutionally protected civil rights.

“As shareholders of Mastercard, we believe it is of great import that the company respect civil rights by identifying potential factors that may contribute to discrimination in the provision of services based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or social, political, or religious views,” said FEP Director Scott Shepard.

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who is also running for governor, has been working with a major bank to address the issue of politically-biased debanking practices. He has obtained a commitment from JPMorgan Chase to help protect conservatives against these efforts.

During an interview on Daily Signal’s podcast, Cameron criticized the hypocrisy of large businesses that promote far-left ideas while neglecting to defend the First Amendment rights of religious organizations and the majority of Americans. Chase closed accounts associated with right-leaning organizations, prompting Cameron and 19 other attorneys general to demand answers and request the bank’s participation in the Viewpoint Diversity Score survey to assess its respect for free speech and religious freedom.

This is what cultural authoritarianism looks like.

The left will use any means, no matter how underhanded, to force their will on the rest of the public. These people have no problem with harshly punishing those who dissent from their ideology, which is why they have targeted people like Farage. They will exploit any avenue – including banks – to destroy the lives of their political opposition.

When censorship and other methods don’t work, they rely on cancel culture and pressure companies to sever ties with those the Woke Sanhedrin deems to be a worthy target. These people are bullies. The only way to deal with bullies is to push back and deny them an easy mark. Fortunately, it appears we have at least some folks who are willing to do just that.

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