On 3rd March 1999, the Scottish press reported that the Bank of Scotland were entering into a joint
tele-banking venture in the USA with Robertson FinancialServices, a company controlled by the American far-right evangelist Dr Pat Robertson. Dr Robertson is well known for his racist, sexist and homophobic statements. His public statements include the following:
On sexuality: "Many of those people involved with Adolf Hitler were Satanists, many of them were homosexuals - the two things seem to go together." (TV broadcast, 1993)
On women’s equality: "The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women. It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children,
practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians". (Fundraising Letter, 1992)
On a world-wide conspiracy: "Indeed it may well be that men of goodwill like Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and George Bush are in reality unknowingly and unwittingly carrying out the mission and mouthing the phrases of a tightly knit cabal whose goal is nothing less than a new order for the human race under the domination of Lucifer and his followers." (From The New World Order, by Dr Pat Robertson)
On race and religion: "... the media challenged me ... ‘You’re not going to bring atheists into the government? How dare you maintain those who believe in the Judeo-Christian values are better qualified to govern America than Hindus and Muslims?’ My simple answer is, ‘Yes, they are". (From The New World Order)
Dr Robertson is not simply a quaint, idiosyncratic character. He is a dangerous, right-wing political extremist, who frequently espouses and encourages hatred towards minorities. He subscribes to strange conspiracy beliefs about satanic plots to destabilise the government. This is the individual whom the Bank of Scotland have chosen as a sound business partner.
Furthermore, Dr Robertson’s company was recently fined an undisclosed amount by the American Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for unlawful donations made to Dr Robertson during his 1988 campaign for the US presidency.
LGCM deplores the announcement of this joint venture between Bank of Scotland and Robertson Financial Services:
- It supports a right wing racist, sexist and homophobic agenda that is is unethical and immoral.
- It represents a total disregard for existing customers who are the subject of Dr Robertson’s hatred;
- It displays a total lack of any understanding that banking and commercial decisions are made within a moral framework.
- It represents a worrying introduction of the fundamentalist far-right politics of Dr Robertson through the back door into this country.
The Bank of Scotland has received numerous complaints from existing customers and members of the public disgusted by the venture. Existing customers are already beginning to close their accounts and transfer their business elsewhere.
LGCM encourages all individuals and organisations who currently do business with the Bank of Scotland to transfer their business elsewhere and to write to their branch and the bank’s Chief Executive telling them of their reasons for doing so.
Martin Hogg, a Director of LGCM, said "I have personally banked with the Bank of Scotland for most of my life, but I have written to my branch manager closing all my accounts. The Bank’s decision to go into business with a member of the extreme right wing, who has spoken in favour of hatred and against toleration, represents a cynical and appalling misuse of customer’s funds and grave breach of trust. Everyone who chooses to stay with the Bank of Scotland will be assisting Dr Robertson’s agenda and banking with the devil."
ENDS
Further details Richard Kirker 0171 739 1249