Russian state-funded television outlet Russia Today (RT) announced earlier today that it has received a notice from Britain’s NatWest bank that its bank accounts are going to be closed. The notice did not provide an explanation, but did say that the decision was not subject to any review.
RT accused the British government of being behind this, though the British Treasury Department has insisted that they had no role in the decision. That NatWest is owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland, itself overwhelmingly state-owned, makes it difficult to argue this was a decision totally independent of the British government.
RT reported that a number of Russians have been having their accounts suspended by the “compliance offices” of British banks without any explanation recently, with the implication being that the recent Western tensions with Russia are fueling such moves.
Several Western officials have been harshly critical of RT, accusing it of being a “propaganda network.” During tensions between Russia and Western countries, officials often call for moves against RT as a way to retaliate against the Russian government for perceived slights.
In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. – George Orwell
That Guardian article. This is coming from the paper that regulary detected “russian incursions” into Ukraine ad tweeted about them.
Or is it really related to Max Keiser’s report on RBS? I can see such reporting being really outside the normal acceptable discourse in mainstream media. Basically, media has a narrative on all issues — and deviating from the prescribed range between K and N — is breaking the unwritten rules.