Immigration Minister’s Inquiry into Palestinian Student’s Visa Revealed.
Former Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick sought to revoke the visa of Palestinian student Dana Abu Qamar, according to court documents.
Abu Qamar, a 20-year-old law student and leader of the Friends of Palestine society at the University of Manchester, had her visa revoked in 2023. This followed her participation in a university demonstration on Gaza’s resistance against Israeli policies and a subsequent interview with Sky News.
On December 1, the UK government canceled her visa, citing that her presence was “not conducive to the public good” due to her statements.
Emails from October show that Jenrick’s team contacted Home Office officials to inquire about Abu Qamar and to explore the possibility of revoking her visa, as reported by the Guardian.
A spokesperson for the European Legal Support Center criticized the intervention, stating, “For a government minister to personally and arbitrarily remove a Palestinian student while her family faces crisis in Gaza is unconscionable.”
Abu Qamar, a dual Jordanian-Canadian citizen with Palestinian roots, has lost 22 relatives in the conflict in Gaza. Her grandparents were displaced during the 1948 Nakba. She faced backlash after her interview with Sky News in October 2023, which followed Hamas-led attacks on Israel that resulted in around 1,200 deaths and about 250 hostages. The subsequent Israeli military response reportedly caused the deaths of over 40,000 people in Gaza.
In her interview, Abu Qamar commented, “For 16 years Gaza has been under blockade, and for the first time they are actively resisting. We are in fear, but also full of pride for what is happening.”
Following the October attacks, Jenrick, then Immigration Minister, indicated that visitors inciting antisemitism could be removed from the UK. He also noted that there was a “legal process” for reviewing the conduct of visa-holders.
Abu Qamar is challenging the visa revocation through a human rights appeal scheduled for later this month. She maintains that she was misinterpreted and does not support violence against civilians or Hamas.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will review the decision by September 13, 2024. The appeal coincides with a shift in the Labour government’s stance on the Middle East. On Monday, the UK suspended some arms export licenses to Israel due to concerns about violations of international humanitarian law.
A Home Office spokesperson declined to comment on ongoing legal proceedings. A source close to Jenrick stated, “A visa is a privilege, not a right. Those who celebrate terror have no place in our country.”