The National Westminster Bank, which is part of RBS Group, informed Russia Today’s UK office in London on Monday that it would no longer have the broadcaster among its customers.
RT’s editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan said that the Bank informed them that they would be shutting down their bank accounts, without providing any explanation for the decision.
British Prime Minister Theresa May’s office has denied any involvement by the government in the matter, even though it is the Royal Bank of Scotland Group’s majority shareholder and despite recent government calls for additional sanctions against Russia over the situation in Syria.
BYPASS THE CENSORS
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The bank that closed RT’s UK accounts is owned by Royal Bank of Scotland, which is controlled by the British government (73% shareholding) https://t.co/jMvINCYpu5
— Bryan MacDonald (@27khv) October 17, 2016
US film director Oliver Stone says he believes that the closure, which the bank has now decided to “review” following accusations of censorship, is symptomatic of an increasingly narrow-minded and defensive attitude from the UK authorities
RT reports:
“The British people are not getting the news, unless you allow other points of view – Al-Jazeera, France 24, RT. If you are going to create “enemies,” and say you have “enemies,” listen to your “enemies,” and try to understand them,” said Stone, mentioning that he has interviewed leaders such Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, and plans to speak to Vladimir Putin as part of his documentary to be completed next year. “It’s important to have respect for multipolar points of view.”
