The mother of a Palestine Action prisoner has revealed she was denied a mortgage by Lloyds Bank due to "adverse media," as more pro-Palestine voices in the United Kingdom speak out about being debanked. Emma Kamio, a small business owner in south Wales, was refused a remortgage on her commercial properties in April 2025, a decision she said "devastated" her and forced her to relinquish responsibilities in the family business.
Her daughter, Leona "Ellie" Kamio, a 30-year-old nursery teacher, was debanked by Lloyds in February 2025 while held on remand awaiting trial. She was later convicted of criminal damage in connection with a raid on a factory operated by Israeli defence firm Elbit in Filton, Bristol, in August 2024, and sentenced as a "terrorist." Four of six Palestine Action activists convicted, including Kamio, are appealing their unprecedented sentencing, arguing the judge was wrong in law to find a terror connection.
The issue extends beyond the Kamio family. Politician George Galloway said Bank of Scotland, owned by Lloyds Banking Group, closed his personal account after 39 years without explanation. Left-wing outlet The Canary was also debanked by Lloyds in late June, and writer Tariq Ali said a bank refused a transfer due to his "opinions" on Palestine. Since Palestine Action was outlawed, over 2,700 people have been arrested under the Terrorism Act at rallies supporting the group.
Anas Mustapha of the campaign group Cage told Al Jazeera that debanking pro-Palestine voices has become "systemic." He said Cage was debanked over a decade ago with no explanation, and the pattern has since extended to activists and now families of those jailed for opposing a genocide. Anas Altikriti, head of the Cordoba Foundation, described debanking as a "tool of oppression" happening on an "industrial scale," affecting thousands.
More than 450,000 bank accounts are closed each year in the UK, according to The Telegraph. Altikriti argued that the term "terrorism" has been commercialised since the September 11, 2001 attacks, and once on record, it impacts a person's entire life. He was labelled a "terrorist" in a banking database following an unverified claim from the UAE, and said the label has not made the UK safer but serves "certain political agendas." Lloyds did not respond to Al Jazeera's request for comment.
Source: www.aljazeera.com