CAGE continues its international expansion, a decade after losing its bank account
This month, CAGE International marks a decade of our growth and expansion since the arbitrary closure of its bank accounts. In the years since we have developed a unique expertise in advising charities, businesses and individuals subject to arbitrary bank closures who wish to learn and replicate our resilience in the face of disruption tactics.
In 2014, CAGE experienced its first of nearly a dozen accounts that would be shut down following the arrest of our Senior Director Moazzam Begg, who was subsequently pronounced innocent. Barclays Bank which is today facing calls of a complete boycott due to its complicity in the Genocide in Gaza, closed down our bank account with no recourse or right to appeal.
Last year, the closure of the bank account of Nigel Farage starkly contrasted the treatment between political campaigners with establishment patronage and community groups defending their communities. Farage received a swift apology and redress following interventions from senior politicians, including the Prime Minister. The treasury also waded in to ensure banks do not blacklist customers with ‘controversial’ opinions.
When we appealed to the treasury in 2014 we were told ‘Individual commercial decisions of financial institutions are informed by their own compliance and risk policies and are not ones that the Treasury or the regulator can or should determine’. This position is now demonstrably untrue after the Farage-saga. It’s the strongest indication yet of a deep seated two tier approach to the rights of citizens who dissent.
The question remains, why was the treasury only too happy to ignore the complaints of Muslim organisations and individuals, is it due to some sort of Islamophobic bias?
In a digitised world, being deprived from banking has severe repercussions. No individual or organisation should be subjected to discrimination based on their political views or affiliations. Discrimination, however, is exactly what is taking place as countless Muslims activists, and Muslim charities realised when they lost their banking facilities due to false and islamophobic information on the global database WorldCheck.
Governments across the world have been building the infrastructure to suppress dissent against illegal wars and genocides. It's a new experience for many but CAGE International has always been ahead of this opposition and continues to grow as an organisation. In the decade since our account closures, CAGE has grown into a global advocacy organisation supporting targeted and oppressed Muslims worldwide. The expansion of our remit has garnered increased support from our community in the UK and across the world.
In the past decade, the annual budget of CAGE International has increased nearly four fold. The number of staff employed by CAGE has doubled in size, with up to 20 full time employees working across a variety of roles and countries. CAGE has considerably expanded its casework department to better serve our clients and community, and continues to deal with hundreds more cases each year.
While we reflect on a decade of resilience, it is evident that our perseverance has not been in isolation. Our community's unwavering support has given us the strength to continue. Such obstacles have only strengthened our resolve to continue the important and impactful work necessary to uphold the principles of justice, fairness and accountability.
Photo by Rubaitul Azad on Unsplash
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