‘Red Aid’: Foreign group backing Antifa terrorists says bank accounts were shuttered

A foreign leftist association showing “solidarity” for a U.S.-designated Antifa terrorist group said Tuesday that two German banks cancelled its accounts.

Rote Hilfe e.V., or “Red Aid,” received the news from GLS Bank and Sparkasse around the time that the Trump administration declared Antifa Ost a foreign terrorist organization in November, criminalizing financial support for the group, Red Aid spokesperson Alex Schneider told the leftist outlet Neues Deutschland. Red Aid says it funds left-wing activists’ legal defense against prosecutions worldwide, including suspected members of Antifa Ost, some of whom have been convicted of violent attacks in Germany.

“We show solidarity with the people being persecuted under [the Antifa Ost] label, and the bank fears coming under pressure itself if it continues to work with us,” Schneider said, claiming Red Aid received no clear explanation for the account closures.

“We provide support to individuals who face criminal prosecution in politically sensitive cases, especially where charges are constructed around the controversial §129 StGB (criminal association),” Red Aid national board member Hartmut Brückner told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “In the ‘Antifa Ost’ proceedings, as in many others, we campaign for public awareness, provide access to legal resources, and support fair judicial procedures.”

“We emphasize that our operations are lawful and transparent, and that we remain committed to supporting those who are criminalized for their political convictions — within the bounds of the law,” Brückner said.

The two banks did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment. The State Department referred the DCNF to the Treasury Department, which did not respond to a request for comment.

“Banks are always encouraged to examine their risk-based approach to ensure full compliance with U.S. sanctions, and [they often] will take certain steps in accordance with that risk-based approach,” a U.S. official told the DCNF.

Schneider claimed that Antifa Ost is not a real organization despite the State Department’s designation. However, “Soli Antifa Ost,” a separate website dedicated to backing the group, invites viewers to donate to a Red Aid bank account that supports Antifa Ost defendants.

The GLS bank cancellation takes effect in February, and Red Aid will seek legal action to protect its finances, Schneider said.

“The termination of the account is a serious attack on Rote Hilfe, no question,” Schneider told Neues Deutschland. “But we do much more than simply distribute funds. We provide political support, advise comrades affected by repression, and connect them with good, solidarity-based lawyers. Rote Hilfe will definitely continue to exist and will continue to support politically persecuted people financially. We will work out exactly how.”

Authorities have linked Antifa Ost, nicknamed “Hammerbande,” to attacks in Germany involving hammers or other items against those it considers fascists, the DCNF previously reported. German officials said in November that Antifa Ost poses a significantly smaller threat than in prior years after the government ramped up prosecutions and convictions of its most violent followers, according to Reuters. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the DCNF Dec. 19 that he is open to terrorism sanctions for more left-wing foreign groups if they pose a threat to Americans’ safety.

The Anarchist Black Cross, German Communist Party and the right-wing political party Alternative for Germany also announced that banks shut down their accounts since November, calling the decisions politically motivated.

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