Le Pen says she’s victim of ‘banking fatwa’

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen accused banks yesterday of closing accounts that belong to her and her party, saying she has been the victim of a “banking fatwa” meant to silence her National Front.

The 49-year-old is smarting from defeat in presidential and parliamentary elections this year, during which she already accused French banks of being politically biased for not giving loans to finance her campaigns.

“This is an attempt to suffocate an opposition party and no democrat should accept that,” Le Pen told a news conference, calling on President Emmanuel Macron and other political parties to back the National Front.

Feuding in party

The far-right leader, who is struggling with feuding in her party after May’s election loss to Macron, said the National Front would file a complaint against Societe Generale and its subsidiary Credit du Nord. She would also file a complaint against HSBC over closure of a personal account of hers.

The FN says Societe Generale closed its accounts in November and that when the central bank ordered a subsidiary, Credit du Nord, to manage an account for the party, the bank refused to process cheque and credit card payments.

Societe Generale and HSBC both said they could not comment due to banking confidentiality rules. Neither has confirmed or denied closing FN accounts or those of Le Pen.

In France, banks are allowed to decide to close accounts with advance notice.