Grrrowd becomes “The Crowd Versus”

The Crowd versus Ibutho Coal

Since the inception of our campaign to Save our iMfolozi Wilderness from the application to mine coal at Fuleni by Ibutho Coal, Grrrowd has stood steadfastly beside us. Grrowd was originally formed in 2014 at the Hague, in the Netherlands, with the intention to crowdfund for campaigns for social and environmental justice around the world. The Save our Wilderness campaign was privileged to be be selected as one of the inaugural causes taken up by Grrrowd.

Funds raised by Grrrowd and the extensive international publicity generated by them on behalf of the campaign, has enabled the campaign to mount a strong legal position in the defense of iMfolozi, and the Fuleni communities.

Grrrowd has now changed into a new crowdfunding platform, “The Crowd Versus“. Below is an excerpt from the official press release:

We are proud to present the new crowdfunding platform for justice: The Crowd Versus.

The Crowd Versus is the crowdfunding platform for legal action against multinationals – and if necessary governments – that make their profits at the expense of people and nature. By collectively raising money for targeted legal action, the crowd can help the individual to withstand their disproportional power. At the same time, the platform helps NGOs/nonprofits to fund their lawsuits (and other legal actions). These lawsuits are always pursued on behalf of people or ecosystems they are familiar with through their daily work.

Because sometimes legal action is the only way, this brand-new platform, formally known as “Grrrowd”, was realised by a diverse mix of people, with backgrounds in law, public affairs, business, strategy and media. The lessons learned during the “Grrrowd” period resulted in this new crowdfunding platform.

A legal fight can be won inside – and outside a courtroom. The Crowd Versus pays attention to both. It funds the costs ‘inside’ the courts (for instance court fees, research and lawyers) and supports the part of the lawsuit that happens outside the courts, including (social) media, influencing public opinion and lawmakers. That’s why we, next to crowdfunding for money, will actively keep our focus on generating noise around our cases.

Please support The Crowd Versus Ibutho coal and enable us to protect a world famous wilderness area and the courageous communities who live adjacent to it.