Mandela’s grandson prevented from entering UK for Gaza events

Nelson Mandela's grandson has reportedly been prevented from entering the UK to speak at pro-Palestine events, after calls to ban the South African activist over his "praise" for Hamas.

Zwelivelile 'Mandla' Mandela was scheduled for a tour of the UK and Ireland to speak at events in London, Bristol, Sheffield, Edinburgh, and Glasgow but was forced to cancel his flight after not receiving a UK visa on time for the first event on Thursday.

The Home Office faced questions about whether to grant Mandela a visa over his "inflammatory rhetoric", including "eulogising a commander in Iran's revolutionary guard", referring to Qasem Soleimani who was killed in a US drone strike in 2020.

The UK and other Western states consider Hamas, which includes a political and armed wing, a terror group, while South Africa and other states do not.

Following the 7 October attacks, Mandela said: "We support the Palestinian right to resist and call on all resistance formations to likewise support operation Al Aqsa Flood and intensify the struggle on all fronts."

The activist also called on the international community to "rise to the occasion and support Hamas and the Palestinian resistance in fighting their oppressor" after Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in Iran in July.

The activist called him a "great leader and an inspiration to all revolutionaries and freedom fighters of the world".

Mandela wrote on Instagram: "It seems that there are those who are intent on preventing me from being physically with you. I would have loved to be in your midst in Sheffield this evening."

The Sheffield Palestine Coalition (SPC), the group organising the event, announced on X that Mandela is "unable to travel to the UK to give his talk this evening due to UK visa conditions" moving the talk to Zoom.

The SPC said that UK officials initially told the activist that his South African government passport did not require a visa to enter the UK.

However, on Monday he was informed that he did require one; despite approaches to the embassy from senior figures from the African National Congress, the leading party in post-Apartheid South Africa, a visa was not issued in time, forcing him to miss his flight to London.

"This is not the first occasion that pro-Palestine speakers from abroad have been obstructed from addressing audiences in this country," the SPC said.

"We will make every effort to have Mandla come to Sheffield in the near future….We will not allow expressions of solidarity with the Palestinian people to be silenced."

Mandela is still expected to visit Ireland, a country which takes a less hostile stance toward Palestinian groups such as Hamas.

Like his grandfather, Mandela has been a vocal supporter of Palestine.

In the same Instagram statement, Mandla said he has "been criticised for statements I have made in support of the Palestinian Resistance and its various formations".

He added that his grandfather was also a vocal supporter and was classified as a terrorist at one point, but "it did not deter him from speaking the truth and standing for justice and human rights for all".

"This is the legacy that I will uphold and will continue to champion. All attempts to silence us will fail," Mandela added.