AfD politician Gottschalk made accusations against various banks in Germany. They canceled their party colleagues’ bank accounts because of their AfD membership. What is the truth of these accusations?
It was after eight o’clock in the evening when AfD financier Kay Gottschalk took the podium in the Bundestag on November 13. Many members of parliament are no longer present at the plenary session, including from their own group. But Gottschalk has a sharp edge. It’s about his request for “termination of politically motivated accounts.”
Gottschalk received two requests for orders from the meeting’s chairman, Andrea Lindholz, CSU – one for saying that the Nazis could do no better about the “opportunistic behavior” of some banks. Another to say “Ugh.”
For months, Gottschalk has been collecting information from AfD members across Germany whose bank accounts, he believes, were canceled for political reasons – namely because they were AfD members. He entered the cases into an Excel table with the name, bank, and termination date.
Apart from individuals, journalists critical of the government, media and opposition parties were also affected, according to his appeal. Nowadays you can hardly do anything without an account. What is the truth of these accusations? That ARD capital studio randomly asked three registered banks that were said to have closed the accounts of AfD members.
Berliner Volksbank and AfD with history
One of them is Berliner Volksbank. It has a certain history in common with the AfD. A year and a half ago he canceled the party’s contribution account. This is based on an online petition created by “Grandmothers Against the Right.” Gottschalk’s list now includes nine AfD members whose accounts at the bank are said to have been stopped.
What does Berliner Volksbank think about this? Not many. You should read between the lines when replying. The bank itself did not answer this question and referred to banking secrecy, according to which banks are obliged to maintain the confidentiality of facts related to customers. According to Berliner Volksbank, they do not comment on alleged or actual customer relationships. We also do not comment on other media reports.
However, the bank has done one thing: it has “explicitly” adhered to its principles. We stand behind the democratic order and constitution and have always spoken out for diversity, tolerance and freedom of expression – and opposed all forms of discrimination. One condemns hatred and agitation and defends democratic discourse. This is like positioning in the AfD.
“This may lead to separation”
A Commerzbank spokesperson responded to a question about whether the stops noted in the Excel table – one in Lower Saxony, one in Saxony-Anhalt – were caused by AfD membership, with a general note: Commerzbank represents “a culture of cosmopolitanism, tolerance and respect”. We firmly oppose any form of discrimination against others.
And that’s what we expect from our customers, Commerzbank said. Against this background, individual business relationships can be separated.
If translated, this means: If Commerzbank has the impression that a customer is opposing tolerance and respect and is acting discriminatory, then Commerzbank can close his account. The spokesperson added: Please understand that he does not typically comment on actual and potential customer relationships.
“We have the right to check the account”
A third example is Volksbank Düsseldorf-Neuss. Four people are listed in Gottschalk’s Excel spreadsheet as said to have been terminated. The bank also wrote that, with a view to maintaining banking confidentiality, it does not comment on possible individual business relationships. The basic rule is that you should never cancel a personal account because of political views you don’t even know about.
But Volksbank Düsseldorf-Neuss also stated one thing: “Of course, we reserve the right to check whether a business relationship complies with our business and risk strategy as well as our internal compliance requirements for business or party accounts.”
Legally on the safe side
Legally, banks are on the safe side. Financial services supervisory authority BaFin wrote that, within the framework of legal requirements, banks are generally free to decide with whom they establish business relationships. The issue of account termination is a civil law issue between the bank and its customers.
Gottschalk also accused savings banks of “denying or terminating access to payments and business accounts for people, companies and associations critical of the government without objective justification (…).” As public legal institutions, they are obliged to provide comprehensive financial and credit services. However, Sparkasse is not listed with a single case in the Excel list.
Instructions for BaFin?
In his motion, Gottschalk demanded that the Bundestag, among other things, instruct BaFin to clarify its guidance that payments and financial services should not be denied or restricted based on political opinion or party affiliation. Banks should not have the right to vote, according to Gottschalk. We’re talking about existential stuff here. Otherwise, the plumbing company might soon say: “I don’t like your political opinions, I’m almost dying of thirst.”
None of the banks questioned explicitly confirmed terminating the accounts, but based on the answers, Gottschalk’s statement may be true. Despite observations made by the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in some states, and despite some state associations classifying the AfD as “certainly right-wing extremist” – such as in Brandenburg, Thuringia or Saxony-Anhalt: the AfD is not banned. As a registered party, it is protected by the constitution.
