Palestinian student, 20, who boasted she was 'full of pride' at October 7 Hamas attack wins appeal against Home Office decision to revoke her visa
A Palestinian student who praised the Hamas' October 7 attack has won an appeal against the Home Office's decision to revoke her visa.
Dana Abuqamar was a law student at the University of Manchester, when she attended a pro-Palestine protest just one day after Hamas swept into Israel and killed over 1200 people.
During the demonstration the 20-year-old president of Manchester Friends of Palestine, was filmed saying she was 'full of pride' and 'proud that Palestinian resistance has come to this point'.
Following the highly controversial comments the Home Office revoked the dual Jordanian-Canadian citizen's student visa on the grounds of 'national security'.
However yesterday she won a human rights appeal against the decision as the judge ruled the Home Office had failed to demonstrate that her presence in the country was 'not conducive to public good'.
Judge Melanie Plimmer ruled that the Home Office had violated Abuqamar's human rights and her ability to practise freedom of speech under the European Convention on Human Rights by revoking her visa in December 2023.
The judgment also claimed that she was 'not an extremist' and that by calling Israel and 'apartheid' state she was expressing views consistent with human rights organisations.
Abuqamar told the Guardian the judgment set an important precedent on Wednesday: 'This ruling validates the right to voice support for human rights for the plight of Palestinians and the right to resist occupation.
'I've always been of the position that I never have or never will condone harm to innocent civilians. It doesn't align with who I am as a person, with my character and with my views. I've made that explicitly clear throughout and I'm glad that the court has seen that.'
She faced criticism for her speech in which she said, 'We are full of pride, we are really, full of joy at what has happened', following the October 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel.
Abuqamar later told the BBC that her comments were misrepresented and that 'the death of any innocent civilian should not be condoned ever, and we don't condone it at all'.
She added that 'everyone's in danger in Gaza' and even shared that 22 of her relatives have now been killed during the war.
