British banking giant Lloyds has declined a mortgage application from the mother of Leona Kamio, a pro-Palestinian activist jailed over a violent raid on an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol, according to an investigation by independent outlet Novara Media.
The report said the bank told Kamio's mother that her mortgage application had been reviewed but that its advisers did not feel “comfortable” supporting it at this time.
Footage of the clashes inside the Elbit factory in Bristol
(Video: Sky News)
Lloyds also refused an attempt to transfer the assets into the name of Kamio’s sister and pursue the mortgage application through that route, according to the report.
It was also reported that Kamio herself had previously received a letter from the bank while in custody informing her that Lloyds was “unable to maintain a banking relationship” with her.
Kamio was one of four pro-Palestinian activists convicted over a raid on an Elbit facility in the Bristol area. The group caused approximately $1 million in damage and clashed with police officers who arrived at the site.
Footage of the incident released by British prosecutors last year showed participants carrying hammers and axes while wearing red overalls. Body-camera footage from one of the responding police officers showed a violent confrontation, including an individual raising a hammer and attacking a female officer.
From left: Fatema Rajwani, Leona Kamio and Charlotte Head, who were jailed over the Elbit factory break-in
(Photo: PA)
Prosecutors said the raid had been “carefully planned.” Kamio and two other women were sentenced to six years in prison.
According to a separate report by Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Kamio’s mother said she runs a small business in South Wales and has been a longtime Lloyds customer.
She said her business had suffered over the previous two years as she devoted time and resources to campaigning for her daughter’s release from prison. The mortgage, she said, was intended to ease some of that financial pressure, and the bank’s refusal had dealt her a serious economic blow.
Lloyds rejected any suggestion that political views determine its decisions.
“We do not close customer accounts or make lending decisions based on political or personal beliefs. Our decisions are based on relevant laws, regulation, account conditions or lending requirements. We’re unable to comment on individual cases,” a Lloyds spokesperson told Novara Media.