• A UK court has overturned the Home Office’s decision to revoke Palestinian student Dana Abuqamar’s visa after she spoke at a pro-Palestine rally.
• Abuqamar has had 15 relatives killed at the hands of the barbaric Israeli regime in Gaza.
A UK court has overturned the British government’s decision to revoke the visa of Palestinian student Dana Abuqamar after she spoke at a pro-Palestine rally in Manchester. The appeal court in Manchester determined that the UK Home Office wrongfully cancelled her visa.
Judge Melanie Plimmer stated that the Home Office had infringed upon Abuqamar’s human rights and curtailed her freedom of speech. She accepted Abuqamar’s testimony, noting that she does not support atrocities against Israeli civilians and believes “that Palestinians should seek their rights in a lawful and proportionate way” while asserting that any resistance should be grounded in law.
The judge emphasised that Abuqamar “is not an extremist,” adding that she “had no clear knowledge of the role of Hamas at that stage and certainly had no intention of conveying support for Hamas or the terrorist atrocities against civilians committed in the 7 October attack.”
Following her legal victory, Abuqamar expressed that “justice has prevailed” and voiced her satisfaction with the outcome. She stated, “This case has reinforced Palestinians’ right to resist occupation in the domestic context; that the expression in support of that right cannot be conflated with support for terrorism; that there is no room for abuse of power by ministers and arbitrary decision-making to undermine the rule of law.”
Abuqamar hopes this ruling inspires and strengthens advocates of the Palestinian movement to persist in opposing Israel’s “flagrant violations of international law.” She expressed gratitude to the European Legal Support Center, her legal team, friends, and family for their support throughout the process.
Last year, the Home Office revoked Abuqamar’s visa on “national security” grounds, asserting that she posed a risk to public safety. Court documents indicate that her visa was revoked after then-immigration minister Robert Jenrick personally intervened following her pro-Palestine speech.
To justify the revocation, the Home Office referred her case to its Special Cases Unit, which consulted the National Community Tensions Team (NCTT), the Research, Information and Communications Unit (RICU), and Homeland Security Analysis Insight (HSAI). RICU concluded that Abuqamar posed no threat; however, the NCTT and HSAI contended that she supported Hamas due to the Manchester Friends of Palestine group’s “relationship with Friends of Al Aqsa.”
Having lost 15 relatives in Gaza since the onset of Israel’s barbaric bombardment, Abuqamar believes the UK government revoked her visa as a consequence of her Manchester speech, where she stated, “We are full of pride, we are really, full of joy at what has happened” following the 7 October Hamas-led attacks on Israel. She later clarified to the BBC that her comments were misrepresented and emphasised, “the death of any innocent civilian should not be condoned ever, and we don’t condone it at all.”
“The Home Office has claimed that my presence in the UK threatens national security. They have said the statements I make support extremist views—keep in mind I am a 19-year-old student who studies and supports social justice campaigns through volunteering or advocating for human rights,” Abuqamar stated.
