The British lawyers representing Hamas to try and de-proscribe the terror group are not your average High Street legal team.
According to Jewish Chronicle, one of the lawyers described October 7th as “Victory to the intifada” on the day of the brutal massacre. Another has described Israel’s military action in Gaza as a “Holocaust”.
London-based firm Riverway Law has submitted a bid calling for the Home Office to remove Hamas from the list of proscribed organisations under the Terrorism Act 2000. They have been hand-picked by Hamas itself, with a 106-page application signed by the head of Hamas’s foreign relations office, Mousa Abu Marzouk.
It was presented by Fahad Ansari, the director of Riverway Law with the assistance of barrister Franck Magennis.
Ansari has previously paid public tribute to the late leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike last year. Following Haniyeh’s death in Tehran, Ansari posted: “Ismail Haniyeh has been martyred. May Allah forgive him and accept his lifelong struggle for the liberation of his people.”
Last year, Ansari posted on social media: “You should view Hamas as an army of angels.” To the “Palestinian mujahideen” (i.e. Hamas): “You are the pride of this Ummah.”
Not only should the UK outright reject the application to have Hamas removed as a proscribed terror group, but these comments should be investigated.
Supporting Hamas is supporting terrorism. If the Terrorism Act 2000 is worth protecting, it is also worth applying. The British government must not only reject this attempt to normalize Hamas support, but use this opportunity to send a strong message that support for Hamas and Jew-hate will not be tolerated. Maybe the Home Office would like to begin with Ansari’s comments and continue with all those who endorse this disgraceful effort for de-proscription.
The government must do more to silence calls for jihad on British streets, to crack down on terrorist propaganda hiding beneath the guise of activism, and to dispel the environment of fear created by anti-Israel protesters.
The Jewish community — along with all British citizens who support Israel — are increasingly subject to intimidation, abuse, and incitement from activists who blur the line between political protest and outright terror glorification. This must not be tolerated.
This is why CUFI UK has this week launched a petition calling for the UK to enforce the ban on Hamas.
The petition calls on the UK government, the Crown Prosecution Service, the police, and the judiciary to do their duty under the law:
- Investigate and prosecute individuals and organisations that openly support Hamas.
- Enforce existing laws under the Terrorism Act 2000 to ensure that the proscription of Hamas is not merely symbolic.
- Crack down on hate crimes and incitement by anti-Israel activists against Jews, Israelis, and all those who support Israel.
