***Article first published by 'Info Wars' on Sept. 21, 2018***

Payment processor PayPal has banned Infowars in what represents nothing less than a political ploy designed to financially sabotage an influential media outlet just weeks before the mid-term elections.

Company representatives called Infowars yesterday to confirm that PayPal was terminating its agreement after “a comprehensive review of the Infowars site.”

The company claimed that Infowars violated PayPal’s “acceptable use policy” because it “promoted hate and discriminatory intolerance against certain communities and religions.”

No specific examples whatsoever were officially provided to back up this claim, which relies on a nebulous definition of “hate” which is so vague that virtually anything could qualify.

Off record, Infowars was told that criticism of Islam and opposition to transgenderism being taught to children in schools were two of the examples of “hate”.

The ban was instituted despite InfowarsStore.com containing no political content whatsoever, emphasizing how the decision was a broader attack on the Infowars platform.

PayPal representatives said they were giving Infowars 10 days to switch payment processors, after which all services would be terminated.

The ban was handed down just weeks after George Soros-funded group Right Wing Watch published an article demanding that PayPal terminate its agreement with Infowars for “egregious violations of the platform’s own terms of service.”

Right Wing Watch routinely violates copyright by uploading entire sections of other people’s videos to YouTube without any pretense of fair use, yet the group’s channel has not been deleted.

Right Wing Watch is owned by People For the American Way, which is funded by George Soros’ Open Society Initiative.

In addition, the Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post published an article less than two weeks ago that served as a dog whistle for PayPal to ban Infowars.

Entitled As Alex Jones rails against ‘Big Tech,’ his Infowars stores still thrive online, the article bemoaned the fact that despite Alex Jones being banned by every other Big Tech platform, the censorship had, “left intact key elements of his moneymaking machinery — digital storefronts.”

The article then specifically mentions how Infowars uses PayPal to generate a “high rate of sales”.

This is yet another example of a competing media outlet abusing its dominant position to lobby to shut down a smaller media outlet.

PayPal banning Infowars is the ultimate culmination of what represents a de facto Communist Chinese-style social credit score, where first you are demonized, then censored, before your basic ability to operate freely in the marketplace is withdrawn.

The decision is also blatantly political given the fact that the mid-terms are now just weeks away.

The crusade to ban Alex Jones and Infowars from a myriad of other platforms was amplified by Democratic Congressman Ted Deutch (D-FL), who demanded to know why Facebook and YouTube hadn’t banned Jones. Both companies complied with Deutch’s demand within weeks.

As Breitbart reported, the mass deplatforming of Jones occurred, “One week after Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, led a charge threatening new regulation of social media companies who cannot stop bad actors from using their platforms.”

This illustrates how lawmakers are colluding with Big Tech to silence conservative voices.

The argument that PayPal, like the plethora of other Silicon Valley giants that banned Infowars and Alex Jones, is “just a private company” is wearing increasingly thin.

To what degree will conservatives allow themselves to be punished for their political opinions?

Will it get to the stage where conservatives are banned from having bank accounts or making credit purchases because of their personal beliefs? This is absolutely chilling.

People like David Horowitz and Robert Spencer have already had their access to the marketplace restricted because of their criticism of Islam.

Are we now to understand that questioning an often violent and intolerant belief system is all it takes to have your basic right to engage in commerce withdrawn?

PayPal is akin to the public square of transactional commerce. It could be legally argued that their decision represents tortious interference, interference in interstate commerce and racketeering.

The ban represents nothing less than politically motivated financial discrimination by a giant corporation abusing its monopolistic status to attack the basic right to engage in commerce.

PayPal still offers its services to all kinds of unsavory groups and organizations, including groups linked to Palestinian terrorists and extremists like Louis Farrakhan. Why aren’t they banned? Who decides what constitutes “hate”?

Infowars was also tipped off by sources in DC that payment processors would be the next target, with Infowars being the first victim, after which leftists would attempt to bring down the NRA and more mainstream conservative groups.

Just as Wikileaks’ ability to process payments was sabotaged after it angered the deep state, the financial attack on Infowars is being orchestrated by ‘resistance’ holdovers who are still in government positions.

Other prominent conservatives and political groups must realize that while this is happening to Infowars today, they are next.

This is election meddling writ large. This is giant corporations taking their orders from the deep state and mobs of leftists and then destroying people’s livelihoods by restricting their access to the marketplace.

This is an echo of how authoritarian regimes throughout history eviscerated either political adversaries or minority groups by removing their right to engage in commerce. Now instead of the government taking that role, it’s giant monopolistic corporations who are able to get away with it because conservatives have their heads buried in the sand.

This is why it is imperative that President Trump pass an executive order that offers protection for conservatives whose rights are being violated on a regular basis by Big Tech monopolies.

With PayPal now buying up global credit card payment processors, Trump must surely look at blocking such activity under anti-trust laws.

This sets off a horrific domino effect and an awful precedent for free speech and freedom of commerce.

PayPal must reconsider this atrocious decision.

Infowars is currently considering all legal options in response to PayPal’s announcement.

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