A recent development in Germany has raised concerns about the closure of bank accounts belonging to critical media outlets and activists. Kontrafunk, a liberal-conservative media sender, has been the latest to face this issue. On X/Twitter, the sender announced: “5,765 euros: that is the amount of account management fees the Kontrafunk AG paid to the Volksbank Pirna last year for a account that was always in the black and posed no risk. It is not a bad business for the bank. Nevertheless, we have just been cut off. Of course, without any explanation.”
The sender’s website also notes that donations in euros can still be made to the sender’s euro account in Switzerland.
The move has been strongly criticized by Peter Hahne, a former ZDF moderator associated with Kontrafunk, who described the incident as a “retreat to the 1930s” on the Nius portal.
“I appeal to the Volksbank to reverse this decision. [..] If that does not happen, it would be an incredible attack on press and freedom of opinion, on a harmless sender” Hahne stated.
This is not the first time the Volksbank Pirna has made the headlines. The bank faced media scrutiny about a year ago due to its clients, including “Russian propagandists” and entities such as the Bündnis Sahra Wagenknecht and the media portal Apolut, holding accounts there.