Overview
- Rote Hilfe filed an emergency injunction to stop Sparkasse Göttingen from ending its account on February 9, arguing the loss of cashless payments would cause irreparable harm.
- Sparkasse Göttingen and GLS Bank recently canceled the group’s accounts, and efforts to open replacements have been rejected, including a same‑day refusal from Ethikbank.
- U.S. authorities placed “Antifa Ost” on an OFAC sanctions list in mid‑November, which generates high‑risk alerts in banking compliance tools; GLS questioned Rote Hilfe about ties before issuing a termination.
- Rote Hilfe has documented transfers referencing “Antifa Ost,” including at least one after the U.S. listing, while banks have declined to provide concrete reasons and cited confidentiality or regulatory adjustments.
- Berlin has not adopted the U.S. terror label and notes limited legal effect of U.S. sanctions in Germany, as other left groups such as the DKP and Anarchist Black Cross Dresden report similar account cancellations.