When Lego refused to let Ai Weiwei order bricks en masse, his supporters rallied around him with donations

Chinese artist and political activist Ai Weiwei has some beef with Lego. Back in September, the company declined to let him place a bulk order for an upcoming Australian art installation he wanted to fashion from Lego, according to a post on his official Instagram account Friday.

"Any individual person can naturally purchase or get access to LEGO bricks in other ways to create their LEGO projects if they desire to do so, but as a company, we choose to refrain from engaging in these activities — through for example bulk purchase," a Lego spokesman told The Wall Street Journal.

This isn't the first time the company has made its aversion to such projects known: In March, Lego rejected a winning proposal from its Ideas contest, citing political reasons for not producing an artist's collection of the four women who have served on the Supreme Court.

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Ai called Lego's response "an act of censorship and discrimination," The Guardian reports. After supporters offered to help him acquire the Lego he needs piecemeal, Ai started setting up designated drop-off points for the blocks in different cities.

“The internet is like a modern church," Ai said at a news conference Monday. "You go and complain to a priest and everybody in the community can share your problems."