No access to ‘Hamas supporter’ - Mandela’s grandson denied UK visa
The grandson of Nelson Mandela, the anti-Apartheid campaigner in South Africa, has been denied entry to the United Kingdom because of his “support” for Hamas, and because his presence in the UK was “not conducive to the public good,” according to the Associated Press.
Mandla Mandela, the former member of the National Assembly of South Africa, was scheduled to speak at anti-Israel rallies in Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow. He told the AP he received an Oct. 21 letter from the UK Home Office denying him an entry visa.
“Your presence in the UK has been assessed as not conducive for the public good on the grounds that you have engaged in unacceptable behavior. You have made multiple statements which explicitly support Hamas and their terrorist violence, including glorifying the Oct. 7 attack on Israel and their recently deceased leader Ismail Haniyeh,” stated the letter, seen by the AP.
“As such, your presence in the UK is considered to pose a threat to UK society as it would highly likely cause tensions amongst UK Jewish communities. It is in the interests of the community to refuse your visa to protect public safety and prevent disorder or crime in the UK,” the letter stated.
The letter also cited several of Mandela’s Instagram posts in which he voiced his support for the Hamas terrorist organization, including a photograph of him with former Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran in July.
The letter also noted that Mandela attended Haniyeh’s funeral in August, having met him twice in January and April this year, and posted a photo of himself with a senior Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal.
“We can never be silenced and we will never let the refusal of a visa prevent us from standing for justice, peace and equality,” Mandela responded, according to the AP.
“We will continue to raise our voice against the unjust occupation, genocide and ethnic cleansing of Gaza and all of Occupied Palestine, sponsored by the UK and its ilk.”
Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organization in the United Kingdom.
The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.
