UK bans clothes designer over T-shirts criticising 'western cuck' support for Israel

The British government has banned a Palestinian-American designer and activist from entering the country to speak at a charity event for Palestine. Mo Hamzeh, the vice-chair and a trustee of the Sun of Freedom charity, was scheduled to speak at its fundraiser for Gaza in London on Friday. He was expected to fly to Britain on Wednesday, but said that his Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which had been approved weeks beforehand, was cancelled. Hamzeh shared a screenshot of a message on the UK government website which said: "We are satisfied that your presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good." The advocacy group UK Lawyers for Israel said it had submitted a report to the Home Office on 19 October, calling the ban on his entering the UK a "welcome step in protecting the public from extremist rhetoric and antisemitic hatred". New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters Hamzeh told Middle East Eye on Thursday: “I am launching a legal challenge to the British government’s baseless decision to cancel my ETA, which was communicated without specific reason, evidence, or even a chance for me to respond. “I am the latest victim of the UK’s targeting of Palestinian advocates and human rights defenders." 'Pedophilic' state Chris Philp, a Conservative MP and the shadow home secretary, urged Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to ban Hamzeh on 30 October. “While Israeli soldiers who have participated in genocide are free to roam the streets of London, I am barred from flying in to attend a fundraiser for a charity that provides lifesaving food and water to families in Gaza," Hamzeh told MEE. 'While Israeli soldiers who have participated in genocide are free to roam the streets of London, I am barred from flying in to attend a fundraiser' – Mo Hamzeh Hamzeh has designed clothing which is sold online in aid of the charity. His outfits include a T-shirt which says: "Israel is a genociding, holocausting, pedophilic, rapist, sex trafficking, organ and land stealing, child murdering, terrorist, apartheid ethno-state that outshames the motherfucking Nazis, and you western cucks bend the knee for it all." Another T-shirt shows an inverted red triangle, which Philp claimed is "closely associated with Hamas". Hamzeh has strongly denied this, saying the triangle represents Palestinian statehood. Philp told the home secretary: "Mr Hamzeh’s clothing line, which funds the Sun of Freedom, includes items which display extremist slogans and symbols, such as equating the actions of Israel in Gaza to those of the Nazis and featuring an inverted red triangle, which has been closely associated with Hamas. "These statements are wholly incompatible with the values of the United Kingdom." The charity event Hamzeh was set to attend in London, called "Palestine: A Journey Through Heritage and Hope", has described itself as an "immersive evening celebrating Palestinian culture, art, heritage, food and inspiring stories". Hamzeh, who is based in New Jersey, is from a Palestinian family which was expelled during the 1948 Nakba. Sun of Freedom has previously said: "We unequivocally reject antisemitism and the targeting of Jewish people, as well as terrorism and violence against civilians." MEE has contacted the Home Office for comment. Asked last week about Hamzeh in response to Philp's calls for him to be banned, a Home Office spokesperson said: "We do not routinely comment on individual cases. We are committed to tackling antisemitism in all its forms and have no tolerance for those who seek to spread hatred, incite violence or threaten communities." Earlier this year the British government caused controversy by banning American political commentators Hasan Piker and Cenk Uygur from entering the country, reportedly over their criticisms of Israel. UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), which campaigned for Hamzeh to be banned, has been at the forefront of efforts to discredit and pressure individuals and organisations in the UK that criticise Israeli policies, as well as aid groups helping Palestinians, since it was founded in 2011. UK: Dozens arrested outside Supreme Court hearing on Palestine Action ban Read More » UKLFI appears 128 times in the European Legal Support Centre's Britain Index of Repression database, which documents what it describes as the systematic repression of Palestine solidarity activism across Britain. The centre argued that UKLFI has helped to create a "chilling environment" in which individuals and organisations withdraw or modify lawful Palestine-related activity due to fears of legal escalation. In the centre's analysis, UKLFI appears repeatedly as an "initiating" or "escalating" actor against acts of Palestinian solidarity – often through complaint letters, legal threats or public pressure that prompts schools, universities, employers and public bodies to open disciplinary procedures or cancel events. "I have always advocated for my people’s freedom and spoken out against Israel’s decades-long, brutal occupation, apartheid, land theft, mass displacement and murder of Palestinians," Hamzeh said, "all of which is aided and abetted by western governments. "For my stand, I am being punished and my speech is being silenced." He added: "I will pursue every legal means to overturn this unjust, racist and dehumanising decision."