Latest news with #MousaAbuMarzouk
Arab News
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
18 British student groups support legal action to remove Hamas from UK terror list
LONDON: Eighteen student groups at British universities have supported legal moves to remove Hamas from the UK's list of proscribed terrorist organizations. Some of the groups are affiliated with student unions at leading UK academic institutions, including the London School of Economics, the University of Edinburgh, and University College London. The groups said the legal petition 'defends the right of students, academics and communities to think freely, speak openly and organize without fear of being criminalized,' The Times newspaper reported on Monday. In April, senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk instructed British firm Riverway Law to take legal action with the aim of removing his organization from a Home Office list of terrorist groups. The military wing of Hamas was banned by UK authorities in 2001. The ban was extended in 2021 to include its political bureau. Lawyers from the firm said in April that by banning Hamas, 'Britain is effectively denying the Palestinians the right to defend themselves.' The organization 'does not pose any threat' to Britain's national security, they added, and the ban was therefore 'disproportionate.' The prohibition of Hamas means it is a criminal offense for anyone in the UK to have any links with the organization or show support for it. The student groups said the ban on Hamas 'creates an atmosphere where advocacy for Palestine becomes a legal risk,' and students who participated in pro-Palestinian activism faced intimidation and threats. 'We therefore stand in support of Riverway Law's application to deproscribe Hamas, not as an endorsement of any group, but to protect the civic space essential for academic freedom and open inquiry,' they said. The student organizations backing the legal challenge include Edinburgh University Justice for Palestine Society, LSE Divest Encampment for Liberation, University of Birmingham Friends of Palestine, Newcastle Apartheid Off Campus, and the Students Against Apartheid Coalition at the University of Leeds.
Morocco World
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Hamas Seeks to Remove Its Terror Designation in UK Court
Palestinian resistance group Hamas made a legal filing in London on Wednesday, seeking to have the group removed from the UK's list of proscribed terror organizations and to have its struggle against Israeli occupation recognized as legitimate. The application was submitted by Mousa Abu Marzouk, head of Hamas's foreign relations office in Doha, who has held various senior positions in the movement since helping to found it in 1987. 'Hamas does not and never has posed a threat to Britain, despite its ongoing complicity in the genocide of our people. It is perhaps out of colonial guilt that Britain fears one day those it oppresses will strike back against the sponsors of the Zionist entity,' Marzouk stated in a witness statement as part of the legal filing. He added, 'Hamas is not a terrorist group […] We also look outward for inspiration from the glorious tradition of all those peoples and groups who have resisted colonialism, occupation, and imperialism in the name of justice, dignity, and human equality. Hamas's military wing, the Al Qassam Brigade, was proscribed by the UK in 2001, with its political wing later added to the list in 2021. The UK government has since dismissed the distinction between the two branches, calling Hamas a 'complex but single terrorist organisation.' Marzouk criticized the British government's decision, stating it was not only unjust but also indicative of its enduring support for Zionism and apartheid in Palestine over the past century. While Hamas did not deny that its actions fall within the wide definition of 'terrorism' under the UK's Terrorism Act 2000, the group pointed out that the same definition applies to any group that uses violence for political purposes, including the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), the Ukrainian army, and even the British armed forces. The filing also includes a witness statement explaining the events of October 7, 2023, noting that Hamas aimed to achieve 'specific military objectives' and issued clear instructions not to target women, children, or the elderly. Hamas also expressed its willingness to cooperate with the International Criminal Court and any neutral third party, a stance it maintained following the ICC's issuing of arrest warrants in November 2024 against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Palestinian military commander Mohammed Deif, who has since been killed by Israel. Hamas lauded the ICC's decision as an 'important step toward justice,' while Israel dismissed the war crimes accusations and continues to evade international law by traveling to countries that refuse to uphold these warrants. The Palestinian group was founded in 1987 during the First Intifada as a response to escalating Israeli violence. Initially part of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas later severed ties to operate independently. The Qassam Brigade was established in 1992 to engage in armed resistance against Israeli occupation. Hamas's 2017 charter clearly states that its struggle is against the Israeli state and the Zionist movement due to their occupation of Palestine, not against the Jewish people—an accusation often raised by those avoiding discussion of the dire conditions Palestinians face under a brutal settler-occupation, apartheid, and ethnic cleansing. Tags: "terrorist organisation"HamasUnited Kingdom
Jordan Times
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Jordan Times
Hamas launches appeal against UK ban
An elderly Palestinian man reactsas he stands in front of a building hit by an Israeli strike, in Gaza City's eastern neighbourhood of Shujaiya on April 10, 2025 (AFP photo) LONDON — UK-based lawyers said they have asked the British government to lift a ban on the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a petition that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition politicians. The legal submission argues the ban contravenes Britain's human rights commitments, with the militants insisting on "the legitimacy of the struggle of the Palestinian people for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation." The military wing of Hamas was designated a "terrorist group" by the UK in 2001. The United States and the European Union consider Hamas a terror group. Hamas's proscription was extended in 2021 to include the political wing, with the group considered a "complex but single terrorist organisation", according to the government website. In the UK, belonging to, encouraging and expressing support for a proscribed organisation, among other acts, are criminal offences. The Home Office said it did not comment on proscription matters. The submission to the UK interior ministry was announced by London-based firm Riverway Law on Wednesday. It added the right to resist "foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle, is moral, legitimate and explicitly enshrined in international law." In retaliation, Israel vowed to crush Hamas and has relentlessly bombarded Gaza, with the death toll since the start of the war now at more than 50,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry. Riverway Law said it was instructed by Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official. By banning Hamas "Britain is effectively denying the Palestinians the right to defend themselves", the lawyers said in a statement on X. The submission argues that the proscription of Hamas is "disproportionate" because the group "does not pose any threat" to Britain's national security. The plea says the ban goes against Britain's human rights duties, including under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) -- which has become a target of UK's political right since Britain left the European Union in 2020. The application has drawn sharp criticism from opposition politicians, with shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel slamming the group as a "evil, Iranian-backed terrorist organisation". "Those campaigning to end the proscription of Hamas fail to understanding the seriousness of the threats this terrorist organisation poses", Patel said in a statement.
Arab News
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Hamas urges UK govt to overturn terror designation
LONDON: Hamas has submitted a legal filing in Britain demanding it be removed from the government's list of proscribed terror groups. The organization is arguing that it is a 'Palestinian Islamic liberation and resistance movement whose goal is to liberate Palestine and confront the Zionist project,' and not a terrorist group. The claim includes a witness statement by Mousa Abu Marzouk, Hamas's head of international relations and the applicant for the filing. It was submitted to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Abu Marzouk's statement said: 'The British government's decision to proscribe Hamas is an unjust one that is symptomatic of its unwavering support for Zionism, apartheid, occupation and ethnic cleansing in Palestine for over a century. 'Hamas does not and never has posed a threat to Britain, despite the latter's ongoing complicity in the genocide of our people.' The UK proscribed Hamas's military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, in 2001, and added its political wing to the list of terror organizations in 2021. At the time, the government described the distinction between the two wings as 'artificial' and said Hamas was a 'complex but single terrorist organization.' Support for proscribed organizations is a criminal offense in Britain. Hamas's legal team at Riverway Law, which is representing the organization pro brono because it is illegal to receive funds from proscribed groups, sent a document to Drop Site News summarizing its arguments. The team said: 'Hamas does not deny that its actions fall within the wide definition of 'terrorism' under the Terrorism Act 2000. 'Instead, it notes that the definition also covers all groups and organizations around the world that use violence to achieve political objectives, including the Israeli armed forces, the Ukrainian army and indeed the British armed forces.' The team added: 'Rather than allow freedom of speech, police have embarked on a campaign of political intimidation and persecution of journalists, academics, peace activists and students over their perceived support for Hamas. 'People in Britain must be free to speak about Hamas and its struggle to restore to the Palestinian people the right to self-determination.' Hamas is the 'only effective military force resisting' Israel's illegal occupation of the Palestinian territories, the team said, highlighting Britain's obligations under international law to prevent genocide and crimes against humanity. The proscription is also disproportionate as Hamas 'does not pose any threat to Britain or British citizens,' the team added. Hamas's presence on the list of terrorist organizations is hindering its ability to broker a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the lawyers said. Riverway Law's director, Fahad Ansari, is leading the legal challenge. He is being helped by Daniel Grutters, a barrister at One Pump Court Chambers, and Franck Magennis, a barrister at Garden Court Chambers. In December 2020, Magennis said: 'Zionism is a kind of racism. It is essentially colonial. It has manifested in an apartheid regime calling itself 'the Jewish state' that dominates non-Jews, and particularly Palestinians.' The Home Office said it does not comment on proscription cases. Deproscription is rare in the UK, with just four groups having been removed from the list of terrorist organizations. Grutters represented pro-Palestinian students who set up a camp at the London School of Economics last May, the Daily Telegraph reported. The students were barred by the university through a court order. Cooper said the government will reject Hamas's appeal, and 'maintains its view' that the group is a 'barbaric terrorist organization.' Priti Patel, the former home secretary who expanded Hamas's proscription on the terror list in 2021, said the 'evil' group still poses an 'ongoing threat' to British national security. 'Those campaigning to end the proscription of Hamas fail to understand the seriousness of the threats and danger this terrorist organization poses,' she added.
Al Arabiya
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Hamas launches appeal against UK ban
UK-based lawyers said they have asked the British government to lift a ban on the Palestinian militant group Hamas, a petition that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition politicians. The legal submission argues the ban contravenes Britain's human rights commitments, with the militants insisting on 'the legitimacy of the struggle of the Palestinian people for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation.' The military wing of Hamas was designated a 'terrorist group' by the UK in 2001. The United States and the European Union consider Hamas a terror group. Hamas' proscription was extended in 2021 to include the political wing, with the group considered a 'complex but single terrorist organization,' according to the government website. In the UK, belonging to, encouraging and expressing support for a proscribed organization, among other acts, are criminal offences. The Home Office said it did not comment on proscription matters. The submission to the UK interior ministry was announced by London-based firm Riverway Law on Wednesday. It added the right to resist 'foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle, is moral, legitimate and explicitly enshrined in international law.' Hamas militants stormed over Israel's border with the Gaza Strip to carry out the October 7, 2023 attack against Israel in which 1,218 people were killed on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to Israeli tallies. In retaliation, Israel vowed to crush Hamas and has relentlessly bombarded Gaza, with the death toll since the start of the war now at more than 50,000 people, mostly civilians, according to the territory's health ministry. Riverway Law said it was instructed by Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official. By banning Hamas 'Britain is effectively denying the Palestinians the right to defend themselves,' the lawyers said in a statement on X. The submission argues that the proscription of Hamas is 'disproportionate' because the group 'does not pose any threat' to Britain's national security. The plea says the ban goes against Britain's human rights duties, including under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) – which has become a target of UK's political right since Britain left the European Union in 2020. The application has drawn sharp criticism from opposition politicians, with shadow foreign secretary Priti Patel slamming the group as a 'evil, Iranian-backed terrorist organization.' 'Those campaigning to end the proscription of Hamas fail to understanding the seriousness of the threats this terrorist organization poses,' Patel said in a statement.
