England did not let Mandela’s grandson in because of his support for Palestine
Nelson Mandela’s grandson said London preveed him from eering the UK because he supports Palestine.
According to Isna, Mandela, the grandson of Nelson Mandela, the ai-apartheid leader and the first preside of South Africa, could not go to England earlier this moh to participate in the Palestine support rallies in Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow, because he was informed that despite Having a South African governme passport that allows him to eer England without a visa, he must obtain a visa and the reason for this ban is his support for Hamas and Palestine.
According to the report of the Associated Press, the British Foreign Ministry wrote in a letter: “Your presence in England is not good for the public ierest due to a series of unacceptable behaviors. “You published several statemes in support of Hamas and Ismail Haniyeh, the late political leader of Hamas.”
In this letter, several articles published on Instagram by Mandela’s grandson are meioned, that he supports Hamas and the Palestinians, including Haniyeh.
In the coinuation of this letter from the British Foreign Ministry, it is also stated that Mandela participated in Haniyeh’s Shia ceremony in August and had previously met with him twice in January and April 2024. There is also a picture of Mandela next to Khalid Meshaal, the senior leader of Hamas.
But Mandela’s grandson said that the rejection of his visa application does not preve him from coinuing to express his support for the Palestinians.
He added: “We can never be sile and we will never allow visa denial to stand in the way of defending justice, peace and equality.” We will coinue to raise our voices against the unjust occupation, genocide and ethnic cleansing of Gaza and all occupied Palestine under the support of the British and its likes.
Mandela also said the visa denial was an attempt to restrict moveme and freedom of expression, likening it to the challenges faced by his grandfather, Nelson Mandela, who spe 27 years in prison for his role in the fight against apartheid. The apartheid system implemeed by the white minority governme was abolished in 1994 and Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected leader.
Pro-Palestinian organizations, including the Desmond Tutu Foundation in South Africa and the UK-based Sheffield Palestinian Coalition Against Apartheid Israel, have criticized London’s decision to deny Mandela’s grandson a visa.
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