Mandla Mandela, grandson of the late Nelson Mandela and a prominent South African parliamentarian, was recently denied a UK visa, reportedly due to his vocal support for Hamas amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Mandela, who was scheduled to attend pro-Palestinian events in Manchester, Edinburgh, and Glasgow, was informed by the UK Home Office that his entry would be “not conducive to the public good.”
Mandela initially held a South African government passport, typically allowing him visa-free entry to the UK. However, he was informed this month that he would need a visa, and later received a letter, dated October 21, outlining the reasons for his application’s rejection. The letter cited Mandela’s “support for Hamas” and mentioned specific social media posts in which he voiced support for Hamas and Palestinian rights, including a photograph of himself with Ismail Haniyeh, a former leader of Hamas. Mandela had also reportedly attended Haniyeh’s funeral in August and met with him twice earlier in the year.
The Home Office letter stated that Mandela’s public statements and actions posed a potential risk to UK communities, particularly the Jewish community, by potentially causing unrest. “Your presence in the UK is considered to pose a threat to U.K. society as it would highly likely cause tensions amongst U.K. 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 U.K.,” the letter noted.
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Responding to the decision, Mandela expressed determination to continue advocating for Palestinian rights and condemned the UK government’s decision as an infringement on his freedom of expression. “We can never be silenced,” he said, adding that he would persist in standing for “justice, peace, and equality” and speaking against what he called the “unjust occupation” of Palestinian territories.
Mandela further drew parallels between the UK’s visa denial and the historical restrictions faced by his grandfather, Nelson Mandela, during South Africa’s apartheid era. Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for 27 years, had famously refused conditional release that would have confined him to the Transkei region, remaining resolute in his pursuit of justice and human rights for all.
Several pro-Palestinian organizations have also spoken out against the UK’s decision. The Desmond Tutu Foundation in South Africa and the Sheffield Palestine Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid in the UK have criticized the visa refusal, describing it as a step back for global freedom of speech and human rights advocacy.
The UK Home Office has yet to issue a public response to the matter.
