AIBU to tell you that First Direct closed bank account of gender critical blogger

[Snorkers]

https://twitter.com/WingsScotland/status/1673371351942307840

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1673371351942307840.html

Who's next? What other beliefs are no longer allowed to partake in society?

@AlisonDonut I don't want to hand over anything. I'm just pointing out that in @FedgeHund 's example the bank was deemed to have got it wrong and paid compensation. The system worked. At the same time, banks have a responsibility laid down in law to make sure they are not complicit in illegal activities, and I'm fine with that - do you want your bank to be processing the proceeds of crime?

If an account is processing proceeds of crime, that would make it a police matter.

This is about people having their accounts cancelled because of pressure from activists for wrong think. Unless you think that Triggernometry were processing proceeds of crime?

By saying 'it only happens when red flagged or proceeds of crime' it also makes the person look guilty of a crime when all they did was not want pride flags in their face, or teens to have their breasts removed, or not want rapists in women's prisons and it then targets them in even more dangerous ways than the original thought crime.

Wouldn't that be against data protection and cast suspicion on individuals and companies who are ultimately innocent? Don't you think anyone whose bank account was closed for this reason would be jumping up and down in the press too?

There needs to be clear guidelines about what an appropriate reason to close a bank account would be. Which should only be financially related.

If they want to jump up and down to the press in those circs, they're welcome to, but at least everyone is clear that the motivation isn't around 'values' or 'wrongthink'

The point is, that it doesn't matter what flavour of victim it is.

Exactly.

Who could have imagined, 10 years ago, that saying men can't become women would have you accused of bigotry, transphobia, open to being 'cancelled' or dismissed from your job? Not me.

So who knows what kind of beliefs are next to be deemed offensive and merit the same treatment?

@AlisonDonut you don't know that Farage and Tice don't have proceedings against them. The banks are not allowed to say anything. Those investigating certainly wouldn't say anything.

In terms of ideologies, banks are businesses. They don't have to keep you as a customer if they don't want to. They aren't allowed to discriminate on any protected characteristic, but political beliefs are not protected so they can ditch any account they want to - whether it belongs to a GC extremist or a TRA extremist. That is legal. Frankly I don't like the extremists on either side - I'm the parent of someone who is trans and the rhetoric from both sides makes me sick. My DC feels the same.

It was all a big joke 10 years ago with a tiny proportion of unwell men people didn't bother.

Hands could be feet in ten years time.

I am baffled at the terror of a few prayers and terror of parents talking to their children about people with very new ideologies keen on keeping children in a permanent pre pubescent state.

In terms of ideologies, banks are businesses. They don't have to keep you as a customer if they don't want to.

Banks are necessary for modern life. It is not reasonable for them to be only accessible to those with in vogue beliefs.

Hands could be feet in ten years time.

That (of course) sounds ludicrous, but who the fuck knows, given what's happened with 'gender'.

Its all getting very Orwellian - I keep coming back to this

The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.

This.

What if all banks collectively decided not to provide services to anyone who expressed beliefs they disagree with, such as the belief that biological sex is binary and immutable which is a fact, not a belief?

Nobody can participate in society without banking services. They'd effectively be banning the expression of that belief.

Why should banks have the right to do that?

This is sinister.

Oh and by the way, it's straight out of dystopia fiction.

In the Handmaid's Tale the Gilead regime overpowered women by suddenly removing their access to money.

So where do you stand on JK Rowling and all the people who have been Doxed for their gender critical beliefs? Presumably you agree that any of the trans community who has done that should have their bank accounts closed

@TheKeatingFive my DC is an adult. They don't agree with puberty blockers for children. They also don't agree that trans = mental illness. Both things are extremes.

In the Handmaid's Tale the Gilead regime overpowered women by suddenly removing their access to money.

Thats an excellent point

Farage's account has been closed because he's recieving huge amounts of Russian money from dodgy sources. Not because they disagree with his beliefs.

They don't agree with puberty blockers for children. They also don't agree that trans = mental illness. Both things are extremes.

I'm not sure what point you're making here. Some would consider being against puberty blockers for children to be evidence of terrible bigoted transphobia. If those people ran a bank, should they have the power to shut down your DC's account?

Farage's account has been closed because he's recieving huge amounts of Russian money from dodgy sources. Not because they disagree with his beliefs.

This issue goes far beyond Farage.

It's all so unbelievable that I hardly dare to think where this world is heading.
There's another item in my Twitter feed about a retrospective incident in an unnamed hospital where a woman patient was raped. The rapist was male identifying as female and it was only after a year of costly investigation that the hospital conceded it was a man.
Nowadays, it's best not to espouse your own views in case you're ostracised and become persona non grata in every respect. Imagine having no bank account so how do you get paid? In Amazon vouchers?
There's a salutary lesson on Mumsnet where a mother of 1 was harassed and berated by a relative at a large family dinner, for only having one child. She received messages from other rellies saying how upset the rellie was at not receiving a suitable answer. I ask you...🙄
It beggars belief.
This world is getting madder by the minute. 😧

Of course not. But I'm not terribly convinced that the anti trans activists involved in this haven't done things, possibly in branch, that would have led to their accounts being blocked. GC extremists are unpleasant people just as much as TRA extremists are. Extremists tend to behave badly, and zero tolerance policies towards staff abuse are commonplace in business.

Just as there is more to this with Farage and Tice, it's likely that there is also more to this with the anti trans and Christian activists.

Yes to similar vitriolic, narcissistic men who believe they are, and somehow manage to convince a certain type of people, they are the epitome of protection and saviour of those they've duped.

@TheKeatingFive
Please don't post something as fact when you don't know it's a fact u less, of course you're privy to NF's finances and personal life. I have read that he was, on his own admission, paid £5k on two occasions years ago but I can't announce that as a fact. It was reported in the Daily Mail, allegedly from an interview NF gave about that time.

• unless

Please don't post something as fact when you don't know it's a fact u less, of course you're privy to NF's finances and personal life.

What did I post as fact?

Of course not. But I'm not terribly convinced that the anti trans activists involved in this haven't done things, possibly in branch, that would have led to their accounts being blocked.

OK, so what are you actually saying then? That people shouldn't be frozen out of bank accounts simply for their 'beliefs'? If so, we agree.

However, upthread you seemed to be suggesting that banks as private business should be allowed to terminate business for any reason. Which would presumably include your DC's beliefs on puberty blockers, which would be objectionable to some people.

I'm just trying to clarify where you really stand here.

Farage is suspect and is given to distorting the truth in his favour. As for the DMail, it is not regarded as a reliable newspaper of record ie it's as truthful as he is. Whole story dubious.

Then on top of hands being feet, they would make you play heads, shoulders, knees and toes.

There were other somewhat chilling incidents last year when Visa and MasterCard came close to closing down pornhub and onlyfans. In agree that allowing the financial-services industry this degree of gatekeeping is alarming.