cross-posted from: https://links.hackliberty.org/post/38945

Question about #humanRights— Article 20 of the #UDHR¹ states:

“① Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

② No one may be compelled to belong to an association.”

How does that apply in the context of forced banking? If a government forces you to enter the marketplace and register for a bank account, does that qualify as being compelled to belong to an association?

¹UDHR: Universal Declaration of Human Rights

#askFedi

  • @sqw
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    15 days ago

    Yes, for cases like you are illustrating here, seems to me that is forcing some association as you argue. Then again, it doesn’t force a /specific/ association, as long as there is a free marketplace for banking with real options. However, even then it does still make a compulsory partition in that way.

    • @sqw
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      15 days ago

      Hmm, now that I think of it, in USA the supply of cash flows from banks and thus supply of cash, whether directly or indirectly, requires some association with them too… the alternatives seem to be barter, scrip, etc. But if it’s illegal to freely trade directly between suppliers and the needful for basic necessities, that does at least seem objectionable.

      I’m also thinking about “banking hours”/bank requirements constraining the ability of even bank account holders to garner those necessities freely.