Friends of Al-Aqsa is disappointed with the Tribunal Judges findings in the appeal against deportation made by Shaykh Raed Salah.
The Tribunal concluded that the Home Secretary acted in accordance with state policy despite the evidences which were presented to it. The judges were unwilling to challenge the decisions made by the Home Secretary, despite the fact that she took less than half an hour to reach the decision to exclude Shaykh Raed from the UK and consulted no British intelligence or security services.
They also reached their decision despite noting that the information received by the Home Secretary came from the Communities Securities Trust and the Jewish Board of Deputies both of which provided an ‘unbalanced perspective’ when distinguishing anti-Semitism and criticism of the state of Israel. The crux of the case against Shaykh Raed stands on the ability of onlooker to distinguish legitimate political criticism of Israel as opposed to deplorable anti-Semitism.
On the other hand, the judges had the temerity to question how well the high profile figures who provided letters of support for Shaykh Raed knew him, including Baroness Tonge, Lord Ahmed of Rotherham, John Cryer MP, Noam Chomsky and Bruce Kent. Thus, they were willing to cast doubt on the evidences in support of Shaykh Raed, while conferring greater value on evidences against him.
In a distorted conclusion to the judgement, the judges accept that Shaykh Raed can continue to spread his message about the plight of Palestinians ‘from abroad… using modern methods of electronic communication’. For an individual whose actions allegedly merit exclusion from the UK, this hardly seems like a fitting conclusion, reflecting the non-sense that this decision amounts to.
Ismail Patel said, “this decision reflects a newly emerging higher burden of proof being placed on Palestinians who wish to visit the UK and speak freely about what is happening to them under Israeli occupation and governance. Only two weeks ago this very same government welcomed suspected war Criminal Tzipi Livni with open arms, and the false premise of a ‘special mission’ while it continues to deny individuals like Shaykh Raed who have faced years of oppression, their liberty and freedom.”
