Corbyn and Sultana use same crowdfunder as Tommy Robinson
And Mr S has spotted another amusing feature of the dynamic duo's freshly-formed website. YourParty – which Sultana rather confusingly insists is not the long-term name of the new group – uses a plugin from a US company called Donorbox to crowdfund for its lefty cause. Eagle-eyed observers might have heard of this organisation before – after it gained publicity through none other than far-right activist Tommy Robinson. As previously reported by BuzzFeed, Robinson raised money to cover £20,000 legal fees via the plugin after better-known payment platforms like PayPal cut off payments to some controversial right-wingers. Small world, eh?
When quizzed on Donorbox's decision to allow Robinson to use the plugin at the time, CEO Charles Zhang remarked that he didn't want to get into 'opinions on [Tommy Robinson]', and added:
We are not a platform or a social network that spreads information. Donorbox is a basic financial tool that allows people to give out of their free will. We hosts donation forms for socialists, conservatives, Muslims, Christians, and the LGBTQ community. It's often that their views clash dramatically.
Given the politics of the Corbynista pair, Steerpike wonders exactly what the duo will make of using a platform with such a libertarian philosophy – and its links to a decidedly non-left-wing activist…
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