EFF slams UK for 'Cowardice', vows not to trade revolutionary beliefs over Malema ban
EFF says Julius Malema will not trade his revolutionary beliefs for a visa, reaffirming solidarity with Palestine and commitment to fight racial inequality and oppression globally.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has condemned the United Kingdom's decision to deny its leader, Julius Malema, a visa, calling the move a blatant act of political censorship and 'cowardice.'
In a statement, the party said it was 'not surprised' by the UK Home Office's confirmation that Malema's visa application was denied due to his political views, particularly his support for Palestine and his stance on racial inequality in South Africa.
EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said the UK had 'effectively banned the President of the EFF due to his position about the genocide of the Palestinian people, his expressed support for the resistance movement fighting against the genocidal Israeli regime, as well as his and the EFF's stance on racial inequality in South Africa.'
The party said Malema was initially invited to speak at Cambridge University in May 2025 but was barred from entry.
Thambo added that the UK 'has suggested that all further applications by our President are likely to be denied unless he changes his posture on the issues which characterise him as a revolutionary.'
He further said: 'The UK has declared the Commander in Chief and President of the EFF an 'extremist' whose presence in the UK would not be conducive to the public good.
''This country, which has a long history of imperialism and still has the blood of Africans dripping from its hands, as its wealth was built on the backs of African people, has suggested that all further applications by our President are likely to be denied unless he changes his posture on the issues which characterise him as a revolutionary.'
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