A young Australian nationalist with no criminal history has been “debanked” due to his political views.
Melbourne man Michael Nelson, 20, received a letter from Bendigo Bank on Friday informing him that his account would be closed in 21 days, citing a clause in their terms and conditions.
“As a result of a recent internal review conducted by the Bank and careful consideration, we have determined that we are unable to continue providing you with banking and financial services. This decision has been made in order to protect the Bank’s legitimate interests,” read the letter, which was unsigned.
The relevant clause, 16.4, states that the bank may close an account at any time due to “unsatisfactory conduct”, which it says includes behaviour that is “defamatory, harassing, threatening to any person”, or “promotes or encourages physical or mental harm of any person”.
Mr Nelson, a member of right-wing activist group the National Socialist Network, said it was the first account he has had shut down, but that he was not surprised because many of his friends had experienced the same thing.
“We have a system that forces us to have no independence over what we earn, declare everything we earn to the government, pay taxes upon taxes on everything you make, buy, sell, and keep your oh-so-precious savings in a privately owned Jewish-run bank that partakes in evil parasitic behavior (usury), all whilst paying a monthly fee to use their services. And all this so they can kick you to the curb the second you decide to stray away from their groupthink!” he wrote in response on social media.
“But them shutting down my bank account is ultimately a nothing-burger; it does not bother me. What bothers me is the apathy of the White Australian people who do absolutely nothing whilst institutions like this walk all over them, advocate against their economic and moral interests, roll over billions of dollars a year, all while they face more economic hardship in the name of progress.”
Mr Nelson, who has never been convicted of a crime, went on to urge others with similar views not to be afraid to speak their mind or engage in real-life activism, saying that the debanking phenomenon was an example of something worth fighting to change.
Noticer News asked Bendigo Bank on what specific grounds Mr Nelson’s account was closed, who made the final decision, how many debankings were done each year, and how many paedophiles, serious criminals, non-citizens and illegal immigrants still had accounts with the bank, but did not receive a response.
There is currently no law in Australia against debanking, but in June last year Australian government regulator AUSTRAC warned that banks should consider federal, state and territory anti-discrimination legislation before choosing to cease services.
Last month Victorian male prostitute Matthew Roberts settled an anti-discrimination case against financial services providers Mint Payments and its acquirer First Data Merchant Solutions Australia after filing a lawsuit alleging the companies had unlawfully discriminated against him by declining his application for an EFTPOS machine due to his “occupation”.
In June 2023 British bank Coutts closed the account of now-Reform UK leader Nigel Farage after deciding his values “did not align” with the bank’s, saying, “at best he is seen as xenophobic and pandering to racists, and at worst, he is seen as xenophobic and racist”.
However, due to Mr Farage’s wealth, status and establishment support, including from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, he was able to force an investigation and the resignation of not only the Coutts chief executive, but also the CEO of owner NatWest.
