Is PAYPAL a political tool ? ~ freeByron
The American corporation PayPal has withdrawn the “donation” button from the FreeByron wiki.
The donation button was for a Trust Account established by Byron Sonne’s parents to raise funds to help pay for their son’s legal defence. [Feel free to tell PayPal what you think about that].
Byron Sonne says PayPal “felt that it was just too much risk for them.”
Canadian citizens are supposed to have the right to defend themselves when legal charges are brought against us. That’s a pretty standard democratic civil right.
Why would PayPal turn away business like this? After all, it doesn’t do this for free, this is how PayPal makes it’s money. The only thing that makes any sense would be that the American Company has felt Canadian Government pressure.
If that is what happened, it implies government awareness that the case against Byron Sonne has little or no merit. I’m no lawyer, but it seems to me if the government had a good case it wouldn’t stoop so low.
I fear Byron’s case isn’t about what he’s accused of doing so much as it is about the fundamental Canadian freedoms that are supposed to be guaranteed us under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
PayPal Alternatives
You can mail donations in the form of cheques, money orders, wire transfers etc. to:
Byron Sonne
37 Mara Crescent
Brampton, Ontario
L6V 4C2
Donations should be made payable to:
Valerie Sonne, In Trust
You can also wire funds directly to:
Valerie Sonne, In Trust
TD-Canada Trust, 1 Queen St.E & Main St., Brampton, Ontario, Canada L6W 2A7
Branch Transit: 21202
Financial Institution: 004
Account: 03116395523
Just as Important
We need the world to be watching this one. Byron says it best:
I could really use your help in keeping a spotlight on this case. Talk about it. Blog about it. Write letters to papers and magazines about it….
This isn’t just about me, not by a long shot. This is about freedom, this is about justice…. in other words, this is all about you. What happens in that courtroom starting next week will affect you, your children, and your children’s children. Don’t just sit back and let it happen. Get involved and make a real difference. We can do it.”
— Byron Sonne, letter dated 31 October, 2011
The Future of Freedom
The mechanics of our fundamental freedoms will be interpreted and applied in the course of Byron Sonne’s case.
This won’t just affect lawyers and Constitutional scholars. Both the process and the outcome will impact on all Canadians, because the future of our freedom will be forged in that courtroom next week.
Good luck, Byron.
Images:
“Free Byron” banner courtesy of Friends of freebyron.org
PayPal logo (used under the “Fair Dealing” Copyright exemption)
Old City Hall (cc by laurelrusswurm)
[...] Is PAYPAL a political tool ? ~ freeByron [...]
My Byron Sonne Articles ~ #FreeByron « Laurel L. Russwurm
March 24, 2012 at 8:52 pm
[...] In case you’re new to Byron’s story, he was a young man who had everything: a beautiful wife, a beautiful home, and a challenging security business. He lost all those things, along with his liberty for nearly a year, because he chose to protest the G20. Byron is fortunate, however, because he hasn’t lost everything, he still has the trust and strong support of his friends and family. The crown has dropped almost all the charges against him. Yet although the remaining charges appear dubious, they keep the sword of Damocles hanging over his head, with the possibility of possible further incarceration. As well the charges provide the basis for keeping Byron restrained under onerous bail conditions which compromise Byron’s ability to work in his chosen profession to earn needed funds to pay for his defence, among other things. And making things harder still, PayPal summarily closed Byron’s donation account, but it is still possible to make donations. [...]
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November 22, 2011 at 12:00 pm
For those who have reason to be nervous of Paypal, WePay is a competing option, and more people using it might make Paypal remember that they only exist while they serve their customers.
Wayne Borean
November 3, 2011 at 8:17 am
This looks very good, Wayne, but I’ve never heard of them…. Moneybookers looked very good too… until i deposited funds and they froze my account (“routine”) and told me I had to email (yup: regular email) them primary ID … like my scanned passport or drivers license (front and back). I’d like to know if you have personal experience with this service?
Laurel L. Russwurm
November 3, 2011 at 11:56 am
[...] interested in Byron and his case because I am interested in seeing that the important intangibles necessary for a healthy democracy [...]
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: FreeByron « Oh! Canada
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