Our church, Maranatha Christian Church of God, has fallen victim to an unjust act by Barclays bank. Like many other churches and charity organizations, our bank account was closed without any prior notification. Despite providing all the necessary documents requested by the bank through various means including branch visits and postal services, we were met with a sudden closure of our account. We were even issued a new debit card only to find out later that our account had been closed.

This is not an isolated incident but rather part of a broader pattern of discrimination against religious institutions and charities by banks like Barclays. This practice is not only unethical but also potentially illegal under anti-discrimination laws.

The impact on organizations like ours is devastating – it disrupts our operations, hampers our ability to serve the community, and undermines public trust in banking institutions.

We call upon regulatory bodies such as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK to investigate these practices thoroughly. We also urge banks like Barclays to revise their policies towards churches and charities immediately. And should considered compesating all the affected organisations such as ours immediately abd appropriately. 

Please sign this petition if you believe in fairness for all customers regardless of their religious or charitable status. Your signature can help us bring about much-needed change in banking practices that discriminate against churches and charities.