JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The grandson of South Africa’s first black president, Nelson Mandela, said Friday that the British government has denied him an entry visa because of his support for Hamas and his position on the war between Israel and Hamas.
Mandla Mandela was unable to travel to Britain to address pro-Palestinian rallies in Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow earlier this month after being told he would need a visa, despite holding one South African government passport that would normally grant him visa-free entry.
This week, however, the British Home Office sent Mandela a letter informing him that his visa application had been rejected because of his “support for Hamas” and because his presence in Britain was “not conducive to the public interest.”
Mandela told the AP that he received the letter, dated October 21, on Thursday.
“Your presence in Britain has been assessed as not conducive to the public interest on the basis that you have engaged in unacceptable behaviour. You have made multiple statements explicitly supporting Hamas and their terrorist violence, including glorifying the October 7 attack on Israel and their recently deceased leader Ismail Haniyeh,” said the letter, seen by The Associated Press.
The letter refers to several posts by Mandela on Instagram expressing support for Hamas and the Palestinians, including one in which he is shown with Haniyeh, who was killed in an airstrike in July this year.
It also notes that Mandela attended Haniyeh’s funeral in August, after meeting him twice in January and April this year, and posted a photo of himself with a senior Hamas leader, Khaled Meshaal.
“As such, your presence in Britain is considered a threat to British society as it would most likely cause tensions between Britain’s Jewish communities. It is in the best interests of the community to refuse your visa to protect public safety and prevent disorder and crime in Britain,” the letter said.
The Interior Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mandela said the visa denial would not stop him from continuing to express his support for the Palestinians.
“We can never be silenced and we will never let visa denials stop us from standing up for justice, peace and equality. We will continue to raise our voices against the unjust occupation, genocide and ethnic cleansing of Gaza and all of occupied Palestine, sponsored by Britain and its ilk,” he said.
He said the visa denial was an attempt to restrict his freedom of movement and expression, comparing it to the challenges faced by his grandfather Nelson Mandela, who spent 27 years in prison for his role in the fight against apartheid. The racist system of white minority rule was abolished in 1994 and Nelson Mandela became South Africa’s first democratically elected leader.
“My grandfather’s freedom of movement and freedom were also restricted, but he refused the condition of release from prison that restricted him to the Transkei. He remained steadfast in his pursuit of justice and remained a symbol of freedom, justice and human rights for all,” he said.
Pro-Palestinian organizations, including the Desmond Tutu Foundation in South Africa and the British-based Sheffield Palestine Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid, have criticized Britain for its decision.
