A Palestinian student’s visa has been revoked by the UK government, following her participation in a demonstration supporting Palestine at the University of Manchester. The government cited “national security” concerns and labeled her a public safety risk.
Dana Abuqamar, a law student and leader of the university’s Friends of Palestine Society, told Al Jazeera that she is appealing the decision. She insists the claims are baseless and violate her rights as a UK resident.
My legal team has lodged a human rights appeal against this decision to revoke my student visa in my last and final year as a law student,” Abuqamar stated.
The revocation came after Abuqamar participated in rallies and made public statements supporting Palestinian resistance during the 2022 Israel-Gaza war. During this conflict, 15 members of her family were killed.
Abuqamar argues that her actions do not pose a threat to public order and believes the decision reflects a double standard in the application of human rights, particularly impacting Muslims and Palestinians.
“Freedom of expression is a fundamental human right, but it seems to not apply to ethnic minorities, particularly Muslims and Palestinians like myself,” she said.
The revocation follows UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s announcement of plans to crack down on pro-Palestinian protests, including revoking visas of those deemed to be “spewing hate”.
The decision has sparked concern that the UK government, a close ally of Israel, is conflating criticism of Israel and support for Palestine with hate speech and threats to national security.
This issue arose after comments Abuqamar made last year at a pro-Palestine rally were perceived by some as celebrating the Hamas attack on October 7th. However, she later clarified to the BBC that her comments were taken out of context and that she does not condone the death of innocent civilians.