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A student and pro-Palestine activist Whose UK visa sponsorship has been canceled by his university says he fears for his safety if deported to his native place egypt,
21 year old Usama Ghanem was Suspended indefinitely from King’s College London (KCL), starting a process that could see The Home Office canceled his student visa and issued a removal notice.
Greta Thunberg And jeremy corbyn Among the high-profile figures who have joined the criticism are K.C.L After the decision.
Mr Ghanem lived under an authoritarian regime egyptwhere he and his family faced political persecution and violent, brutal behavior for their opposition to the government and the regime, He says K.C.L “One must be well aware” that returning is not a safe option, as he wrote in his personal statement about his experiences.
He said, “Returning to this authoritarian regime that kills its own people, that imprisons and tortures its own people, would put my life in danger.” Independent,
The second-year student has been subject to three disciplinary actions since last June following his Palestine activism. KCL states that “it does not take disciplinary action against students on the basis of legitimate protest”.
Ms. Thunberg, recently detained by israel To move aid flotilla to Gaza, posted on Instagram: “This is an unjust decision Pressure from Zionist lobby groupsTo which King’s College shamefully surrendered, betraying its commitment to freedom of expression and academic integrity.”
Mr Corbyn said, “The idea that a university should withdraw sponsorship from someone simply because they are activating themselves on Palestine I find deeply disturbing.” roar news,
And Leanne Mohammed, a British-Palestinian activist who ran against Wes Streeting in the general election, reported Independent: “I am disappointed that my former university is targeting a student solely for his pro-Palestine activism.
“KCL is already taking disciplinary action against 26 students, but Usama is the only student facing three suspensions. I think this sets a very dangerous precedent not only for us as a pro-Palestine voice, but especially for international students who dare to speak out.”
Mr Ghanem said university activism was important to him because his father, a professor, was jailed in Egypt for it. This inspired his continued campaigning for Palestine, Sudan and Ukraine in KCL.
After several disciplinary issues, incidents came to a head when he participated in a protest in February at an event called “Dialogue between Israelis and Iranians”, which included Iranian speaker Faizeh Alavi. The program ended early as a result of the disruption.
Footage of the protest circulated on social media and was shared by others, including senior members of the Trump administration.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) wrote a letter to King’s President Shitiz Kapoor demanding an investigation into the student protesters.
Independent Have seen the CAA letter, which Accused of “anti-Semitism and genocidal chanting”, referring to the divisive slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. “This threat must have consequences that demonstrate your commitment to ensuring that this type of behavior will not be tolerated,” the letter reads.
As a result Ghanem received a letter in May informing him that he would be suspended indefinitely from the university and that his visa sponsorship would be cancelled.
KCL said they could not comment on individual cases “subject to legal proceedings”, referring to the judicial review launched against the university in October.
A university spokesperson said: “As we have made clear, students are not subject to disciplinary action based on legitimate protest or affiliation, and it is wrong to suggest otherwise.
“As a university we fully support this and are committed to maintaining right to freedom of expression We support and will continue to support the right to protest within the law.
“However, the safety of our students and staff is our priority and where behavior violates university rules, we will investigate in line with our robust processes and procedures to ensure an inclusive and safe environment remains on campus.”
The Independent has contacted the Home Office for comment.