Just two days after securing a remarkable electoral victory, Sascha Schlösser, the AfD’s direct candidate in Thuringia, faced an unexpected setback. The Deutsche Kredit Bank (DKB) announced the termination of all his accounts and credit cards, raising eyebrows and sparking a debate over the bank's political neutrality. As Schlösser navigates these turbulent waters, the implications of this abrupt severance from a financial institution become a focal point of discussion in the political landscape.
Bild: Only two days after the victory of the AfD direct candidate Sascha Schlösser in the Thuringian state elections, the Deutsche Kredit Bank (DKB) has canceled all accounts and credit cards of the politician from Erfurt.
This
is evident from a letter of termination dated Tuesday that the lawyer
posted online. The AfD politician writes on X: "The DKB has not missed
the opportunity to congratulate me on my election as a member of the
state parliament for the AfD and is closing all my accounts." On
Facebook, Schlösser adds: "I wonder if the state parliament will also
pay the allowances in cash?"
The letter states, with reference to
the general terms and conditions (GTC), that the business relationship
will be terminated on November 30. Schlösser is asked to settle his
checking and business accounts and destroy all credit cards.
No reason is given. A DKB spokesperson told Bild:
"We are subject to banking secrecy and cannot comment on individual
customers." He cannot answer whether there are more cases, but makes it
clear: "In principle, we do not systematically exclude anyone just
because they belong to a certain party."
Is there a connection
anyway? The financial institution is constantly involved in political
campaigns such as “NeverAgainIsNow”. It advertises on social networks
with a special logo in rainbow colours.
In a hidden YouTube video
about the “Zusammenland” campaign (50 companies), DKB board member Tilo
Hacke explained in June: “Diversity and tolerance are essential for a
sustainable society and economy – even when it comes to skilled workers
or the resilience of our economy. Hate and agitation have no place with
us.”
AfD candidate was in the CDU for twelve years
It
is unclear whether the bank is violating the neutrality obligation to
which some companies are subject. As a subsidiary of Bayerische
Landesbank, DKB is indirectly part of the public law institution.
Schlösser
was a member of the CDU from 2003 to 2015 and is now entering the
Thuringian state parliament thanks to the most first votes (35.7
percent) in the Erfurt I constituency.
On Monday, he posted
photos of a window in his office that had been smashed online. A week
ago, he announced on Facebook that he did not have to pay for the tire
change on his campaign car and that the garage had instead asked him to
put up more posters.
