ST. LOUIS – One St. Louis-based Girl Scout troop has apparently disbanded after the organization reportedly warned of legal action over a fundraiser to help Palestinian children.
The St. Louis Palestine Solidarity Committee (STL PSC) reports that Girl Scout Troop #149 of Eastern Missouri disbanded from the Girl Scouts organization “after careful consideration and reflection” over a recent situation.
In previous reports from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and NBC News, the former troop’s adult leader, Nawal Abuhamdeh, claims the organization threatened her with legal action over an attempted fundraiser. Her troop intended to sell bracelets and donate money to a Palestine children’s relief fund amid the months-long global conflict in Gaza.
More than 29,000 people have died since Hamas, a militant group that controls Gaza, launched attacks against Israel in October, triggering a response by Israeli forces.
According to both reports, Abuhamdeh shared a post about the fundraiser through social media, then received an email from the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri asking her to remove any Girl Scouts branding associated with the bracelets, citing concerns that the fundraiser was political and partisan.
Abuhamdeh then sent an email back inquiring how this fundraiser was different than previous Girl Scouts fundraisers for Ukraine. She also contended that it wasn’t political.
“Our intention was solely to provide aid to children facing a humanitarian crisis, and we firmly believe in teaching our girls the value of compassion and social responsibility,” said an excerpt from former Troop 149 cited by STL PSC.
According to the Post-Dispatch, the Girl Scouts organization replied with a lengthy email claiming her troop’s efforts were a “direct violation” of the organization’s codes and that “legal counsel” could be activated if the fundraiser continued.
“We are deeply disappointed by the circumstances that led to this decision,” said former Troop 149’s excerpt via STL PSC. It continued, “We initially joined Girl Scouts with the belief that the organization valued all lives equally and committed to empowering girls to stand up for causes they believe in. However, recent events have made us question whether this belief aligns with the organization’s true stance.”
According to a Girl Scouts USA Blue Book of Documents from last year, Girl Scout troops and leaders are not allowed to “solicit financial contributions for purposes other than Girl Scouting.”
The former troop’s statement via STL PSC doubled down on Abuhamdeh’s initial claim that raising money for children overseas was not political. It closed, “Although we do not identify as official Girl Scouts anymore, we do hope that Girl Scouts align with other organizations to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and ending the countless and useless deaths of children. After all, it is the ‘Girl Scout way.'”
According to the Post-Dispatch and NBC News, the former troop previously consisted of members from Palestinian and other backgrounds.
FOX 2 has reached out to the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri for comment, but we have yet to hear back as of the time of this story’s initial publication.