Yorkshire Building Society Shuts Down Pro-Palestine Couple's Account Amid Growing Fears of Political Targeting

A retired British couple says their savings account was abruptly closed by Yorkshire Building Society (YBS) without explanation — the latest in a series of account closures affecting pro-Palestine activists across the UK, raising fears of politically motivated financial censorship.

John Nicholson, 70, a retired immigration barrister, and Norma Turner, 76, a former nurse, received a letter from YBS on 27 September notifying them that their joint savings account — opened five years ago as a modest 'nest egg' — would be shut within three days. A cheque for their balance arrived soon after.

'We've never been in financial difficulties, never in debt, never had any criminal record', Nicholson told The Guardian. 'This is just inexplicable — and obviously it's to do with Palestine. It's as simple as that'.

The couple are the treasurer and chair of the Greater Manchester Friends of Palestine (GMFP), a grassroots group that has campaigned peacefully for Palestinian human rights for decades. GMFP's account with Virgin Money was frozen on 10 July, just five days after the UK government prohibited the activist group Palestine Action. GMFP says it has no connection to the banned organisation.

Nicholson said that another GMFP signatory also had their personal account closed, but did not wish to be named. 'This kind of behaviour has never happened in our lifetime of activism before', he said. 'And it's suddenly happening to activists and to organisations. If it isn't Palestine, then why doesn't YBS say what reason it is?'

The group's activities include peaceful actions such as letter-writing campaigns, boycotts, public information stalls, and protests — all protected forms of political expression. Yet in recent months, several groups aligned with the Palestinian cause have faced account freezes or closures, including the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), whose account at Unity Trust Bank was frozen in June.

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Building Society said, 'We never close savings accounts based on different opinions or beliefs. Accounts are closed only in very rare circumstances, with decisions made on the basis of the specific facts of the case.' However, neither YBS, Virgin Money, nor Unity Trust provided any specific reason for the closures.

Civil liberties groups warn that these moves form part of a broader pattern of political overreach in post-Gaza-war Britain, where expressions of solidarity with Palestine are increasingly being monitored, restricted, or penalised. Since the proscription of Palestine Action in July, the government's counter-extremism strategy has been accused of blurring the line between anti-terror measures and political suppression.

The closures also highlight a growing financial control issue: if banks can quietly terminate accounts of peaceful activists, the right to dissent becomes precarious. As Britain navigates a volatile political climate — marked by heightened tensions over the Israel-Gaza conflict, the policing of protests, and surveillance of activist networks — it exposes a disturbing trend: banking institutions acting as silent enforcers of political conformity.

For Nicholson and Turner, the issue is not just personal, but emblematic of a democracy under strain. 'We've campaigned all our lives for justice', Nicholson said. 'But when a building society starts closing accounts because of political views, that's when you know something's gone very wrong in this country.'