Heightened security in the U.K. is allegedly keeping a Middle East reporter for the Guardian newspaper from traveling to London to attend a graduation ceremony.
Kareem Shaheen, based in Lebanon, tweeted yesterday:
Despite being a journalist w/ British paper I got rejected for a 6mo visit visa to UK. I thought we were MI6 stooges 🙁 ? #TravelwhileArab
— Kareem Shaheen (@kshaheen) December 9, 2015
Let me correct that: despite being journo with prior UK and Schengen visas I still get rejected for 6mo British visa. #TravelwhileArab
— Kareem Shaheen (@kshaheen) December 9, 2015
Britain now joins an illustrious list of countries that have refused my visa applications. That list includes the UK, and Syria.
— Kareem Shaheen (@kshaheen) December 9, 2015
By the way, one of the reasons I was hoping to go to the UK was to attend my graduation ceremony at King's College war studies programme.
— Kareem Shaheen (@kshaheen) December 9, 2015
Shaheen said his visa was rejected because he couldn’t prove he wasn’t an “overstay” risk:
First reason they said I didn't provide enough evidence of ties to the region and that I'd want to return to the Mideast and not overstay.
— Kareem Shaheen (@kshaheen) December 9, 2015
Second reason is 6 months of payslips were not enough evidence of income.
— Kareem Shaheen (@kshaheen) December 9, 2015
Dear UK visa authorities, this and a classical Egyptian movie poster are the only posters I have hanging at home. pic.twitter.com/amXdIxuNJi
— Kareem Shaheen (@kshaheen) December 9, 2015
The U.K. is now reassessing Shaheen’s request:
Thanks to everyone who wrote incredibly kind words I don't deserve on my UK visa. I've been asked to resend my passport for reassessment.
— Kareem Shaheen (@kshaheen) December 10, 2015
What’s ironic is that thousands have called on the government to ban Donald Trump from traveling to Britain over Trump’s plan for a temporary Muslim ban in the U.S.
Do these Brits get that their own government is doing exactly what Trump suggested?
Have any of the 200k+ Brits who've signed the petition to ban Trump signed any petition to ban UK terror suspects returning from Iraq/Syria?
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) December 9, 2015
And Trump is in a war of words with the U.K. over his recent suggestion that Muslim sections of London were off limits to British cops:
The police in London say I’m right. Major article in Daily Mail. “We can’t wear uniform in our own cars.” https://t.co/xok4UTsXaN
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 9, 2015
With the British embassy in the U.S. telling Trump he’s welcome to a briefing on the situation in London whenever he wants it:
.@realDonaldTrump, @MetPoliceUK have been very clear about policing in London – “Mr Trump could not be more wrong” (1/2)
— British Embassy Washington D.C. (@UKinUSA) December 9, 2015
.@realDonaldTrump, @MetPoliceUK have offered any Presidential candidates a briefing “on the reality of policing London” (2/2)
— British Embassy Washington D.C. (@UKinUSA) December 9, 2015
If Trump attends this briefing, maybe he can find out if London is supposedly so safe, why do the Brits think newspaper reporters are a terror threat.
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