A grassroots pro-Palestinian organisation in the UK has been told its bank account was frozen because of “an investigation into Palestine Action”, despite it having no affiliation to the direct action group.
Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine (GMFP), which organises peaceful protests and vigils, had access to its funds cut off indefinitely by Virgin Money after Palestine Action was banned under the Terrorism Act and the account remains blocked.
The bank refused to tell GMFP the reason but a letter from the deputy mayor of Greater Manchester, Kate Green, to the organisation’s treasurer, John Nicholson, said her office had been told by Greater Manchester police (GMP) that “this account has been frozen as a result of an investigation into Palestine Action”.
Nicholson said: “The fact is that this is a bank account in the name of Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine, which supports people starving in Gaza, people displaced, subject to settler violence in the West Bank, aimed at giving funds to non-governmental organisations working on the ground in Palestine. Our bank account has had no transactions to or from Palestine Action.
“The government – Shabana Mahmood [the home secretary] but Yvette Cooper [her predecessor] started it – said that there’s nothing wrong with supporting Palestine but there’s everything wrong with supporting Palestine Action. Well, our bank account has not and our membership has not supported financially or otherwise Palestine Action. So it’s an absolute abuse for the implications of this ban to extend so widely that bank accounts of ordinary Palestinian supporting groups should be closed.”
Nicholson, 71, also had his joint personal account with his partner, Norma Turner, 77, who is chair of GMFP, closed by Yorkshire Building Society without explanation in September.
GMFP’s listed activities include “letter-writing, individual consumer boycotting, through bike-riding, information stalls, leafleting, and our increasing social media output”. It has held demonstrations in support of Palestine Action prisoners, including on 15 December, but it is not affiliated to the group.
In a letter to Nicholson, Green said: “I can confirm my office was told by GMP that ‘we are comfortable to say that this account has been frozen as a result of an investigation into Palestine Action’.”
At the same time the police force told Green’s office that it was not involved in the freezing of the account, raising the prospect that it was another law enforcement organisation carrying out the investigation. The National Crime Agency (NCA) declined to comment on any of the Guardian’s questions about bank account freezes. Counter-terrorism police did not respond.
Even before the reason for GMFP’s account being frozen was known, the fact of the block – and that of Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign’s funds – was cited in the recent legal challenge to the ban on Palestine Action as an example of “fears and uncertainty over the meaning and effect of proscription, including on broader campaigning around Palestine”.
Scottish PSC’s account with Unity Trust Bank, which promotes itself as the bank of choice for “socially minded organisations” was frozen on 24 June, the day after Cooper, then home secretary, announced plans to proscribe Palestine Action. After Scottish PSC told the bank that its website had previously included a payment link for donations to Palestine Action (before it was proscribed) the block on the accout was lifted before being reimposed two days later. It remains frozen with thousands of pounds inaccessible.
Hussein Ezzedine, a trade union officer at Scottish PSC , attended a meeting with Unity Trust Bank where he said it confirmed the block was imposed by the NCA. “I think it’s important that people are aware, we’re peaceful activists and we’re under attack by the highest force for crime investigation in the country,” said Ezzedine. “It’s outrageous.”
