Zweliwelile Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela. (file photo)
Zweliwelile Mandela, grandson of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, said Friday that the UK government denied him a visa because of his support for Hamas and his stance on the war between Israel and Hamas. Mandela was unable to travel to the UK earlier this month to take part in pro-Palestinian rallies in Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
In fact, he was told that despite having a South African government passport, he would need a visa. However, a South African government passport allows them visa-free entry.
Visa not granted for support of Hamas
However, this week, the UK Home Office sent a letter to Mandela informing him that his visa application had been rejected due to his support for Hamas. It was also said that his presence in the UK was not conducive to public welfare. Mandela said he received the letter written on October 21 on October 24.
support terrorist violence
According to the information addressed to Mandela in the letter, it has been written that his presence in the United Kingdom has not been considered conducive to the public good because he has engaged in unacceptable behavior. You have made several statements that clearly support Hamas and its terrorist violence, including the October 7 attacks on Israel and the glorification of its recently assassinated leader, Ismail Haniya.
meeting with ismail haniya
The letter cites several posts by Mandela on Instagram, in which he expressed his support for Hamas and the Palestinians. In this image he is shown with Haniya, who was killed in an airstrike in July this year. It also says Mandela attended Hania's funeral in August and met her twice in January and April this year. He also posted a photo of himself with Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.
Tension between Jewish communities
In the letter it is written that, therefore, their presence in the United Kingdom is considered a threat to society. Because this is very likely to create tensions between Jewish communities in the UK. “Refusing your visa is in the interests of the community to protect public safety and prevent disorder or crime in the United Kingdom,” the letter said. The Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
What did Mandela say?
Mandela said the visa denial would not prevent him from expressing his support for the Palestinians. We can never be silenced and we will never allow visa denials to stop us from standing up for justice, peace and equality. We will continue to raise our voice against the unjust occupation, genocide and ethnic cleansing of Gaza and Palestine sponsored by Britain and its like.
freedom of expression
He said the visa denial was an attempt to restrict his freedom of movement and expression. This was compared to the challenges faced by his grandfather Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for his role in the fight against apartheid. The apartheid system imposed by the white minority government was abolished in 1994 and Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first democratically elected leader.
