Barclays faces complaint over alleged anti-Semitism at Leicester branch

Barclays Bank was subjected to the official complaint that claims anti -Semitism after one of the clients demanded his staff on his team on the Leicester team, his account was not fairly freezed because of his Israeli stay.

In a message directly addressed to the CEO of the group CS Venkatakrishnan, journalist Martin Blackham accused the discrimination bank against him on the basis of his nationality and position.

Blackham, who said he was a member of the Press Corps in His Majesty the King who is currently covering the war in Israel, claimed that his Barclays account was prevented from normal use after the system put a request for more details that he was unable to update online.

Blackham wrote in his complaint: “As the details of the account show that I am based in Israel, it is clear that this is a state of anti -Semitism by the Barclays Business Team in Leicester,” Blackham wrote in his complaint.

He claimed that although the case raised with Barclays three months ago, on June 8, the bank failed to respond to its repeated correspondence. He described the situation as “disgraceful” and urged Vinkatarakrichan to request a “comprehensive investigation” in the behavior of the employees in Leicester.

The letter also stated: “There is no place in the place of Barclays Leicester, and I only expect a comprehensive investigation into this issue (but also) to solve the issue.”

Blackham said that the freezing of the account may restrict his access to money while reporting Israel, which is an operational difficulty that he described as non -professional and discriminatory. He also claimed that this was not the first time that he had similar problems with Barclays.

Barclays, who hires more than 80,000 people all over the world, has faced increased scrutiny in recent years due to his compliance operations in high -risk judicial states. Although the bank has not yet commented on Blackham’s specific claims, it previously mentioned a “zero tolerance” policy towards discrimination in any way.

The complaints of anti -Semitism in financial services in the United Kingdom remain relatively rare, but banks have been criticized in the past to make unusual decisions to close or restrict accounts associated with some nationalities, residence conditions, or politically exposed clients. In July 2023, Natest was forced to apologize after the Nigel Faraj Cuts account closed that sparked a political and organizational storm about “Debanking”.

Blackham’s complaint adds a new dimension to this debate, raising questions about whether compliance flags are risked by illegal discrimination.

“We are very concerned to hear allegations of anti -Semitism in the banking sector. All financial institutions must ensure that their compliance procedures are strong, transparent and free from discriminatory practices,” said a spokesman for the British Jewish Council, when contacting them by commercial issues.

Barclays is expected to have pressure to respond quickly. The letter, dated Sunday, September 7, was copied to business issues after months of silence from the bank, according to Black.

The FCA refused to comment on individual cases, but indicated its rules that require companies to treat customers fairly and act without discrimination.

With the presence of anti -Semitic levels in the UK at its highest levels since 1984, according to the Community Security Fund, the complaint is likely to attract a wider audit of how banks balance with equality obligations.

Whether Barclays looks at freezing as a procedural error, the most serious internal failure measure or the most serious internal failure may determine the repercussions of reputation. Currently, Blackham says he is waiting for a response “by return.”