Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine, which has no affiliation to direct action group, informed by deputy mayor
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.
