NatWest, a subsidiary of the Royal Bank of Scotland Group, will refuse service to RT:
NatWest bank has frozen the accounts of Russia's state-run broadcaster RT, its editor-in-chief says. Margarita Simonyan tweeted: "They've closed our accounts in Britain. All our accounts. 'The decision is not subject to review.' Praise be to freedom of speech!"
An MP from Russia's ruling party has said the country's Parliament will "demand an explanation" from the UK. RT says the bank gave no explanation for its decision. It said the entire Royal Bank of Scotland Group, of which NatWest is part, was refusing to service RT.
[...] A letter posted online by the channel appears to show that the freeze is not in effect yet. It warns that banking facilities will be "cancelled and closed" on 12 December. MP Sergei Zheleznyak, from the ruling "United Russia" party, told the privately-owned Interfax news agency: "We will be demanding an explanation from Britain's official authorities in connection with this situation." [...] A member of the Russian parliament's upper house, Igor Morozov, has called for the BBC's bank accounts in Russia to be "arrested" as a reprisal. RT chief Ms Simonyan said the closure included the personal accounts of some senior staff working in the UK.
Unnamed sources in the British Treasury denied involvement and said the decision was made by NatWest itself. The Prime Minister Theresa May's office told reporters that "It's a matter for the bank and it's for them to decide who they offer services to based on their own risk appetite".
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18 2016, @02:54AM
Comes around. Putin thinks blatantly interfering with US Presidential elections via the Wikileaks front is fair game. OK, well then closing Russian bank accounts is fair as well.
(Score: 3, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18 2016, @04:01AM
because usa never interfers elections in other countries right?
(Score: 2) by Username on Tuesday October 18 2016, @04:50AM
How does stating facts interfere with a presidential election?
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Whoever on Tuesday October 18 2016, @05:05AM
Grow up!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18 2016, @07:34AM
Yep fuck the little people actually seeing what these asshats are doing.
GO TEAM DNC!!!!
(Score: 2) by Username on Tuesday October 18 2016, @09:01AM
You know just as well as I do that if RT was only reporting the positives of Clinton and the negatives of Trump like the BBC does they wouldn’t be “interfering with US Presidential elections.”
There is only three MSM outlets that do not have the Clinton slant, and that’s Hannity, Wikileaks and NY Post. Notice how I said Hannity and not Fox News.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18 2016, @02:49PM
You know just as well as I do that if RT was only reporting the positives of Clinton and the negatives of Trump like the BBC does they wouldn’t be “interfering with US Presidential elections.”
So, not very well then.
This isn't about RT's reporting, its about Russian ownership of RT. They just picked RT because they were a vulnerable part of the russian government.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18 2016, @07:27AM
It doesn't! In fact, it has little to no effect!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 18 2016, @02:17PM
It's done selectively. Nothing released about Trump even though I'm sure Russia is sitting on a pile of stuff, starting with his financial dealings in Russia. Of course, they'll make full use of that if he's elected POTUS.