Tino Chrupalla, a member of the German parliament and co-chairman of the populist Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, says he has been “debanked” due to his political affiliations and status.
Chrupalla claimed in an interview last week “on Friday, my account was terminated by Postbank because I am an AfD member,” before going on to explain that it further proves “how [the AfD] are excluded, discredited” and that people are no longer able to express their opinions freely.
Postbank’s decision to remove Chrupalla’s account would be in contravention of German federal law, which, according to a landmark case adjudicated by the Federal Court of Justice, refers to the practice as an “inadmissible interference in the private sphere.”
One German news outlet further explains that “conservatives, right-wingers, and identities have had their bank accounts canceled for years… Left-wing networks and journalists are already working diligently to nationalize repression.”
Debanking came into the political mainstream across the world after Brexit leader Nigel Farage had his private bank accounts terminated by Coutt’s bank in the summer because of his friendship with former President Donald Trump and Tennis player Novak Djokovic, among other trivial reasons.
