A Canadian judge has upheld a ban on the British Respect Party MP, George Galloway, from entering the country for a speaking tour.
Federal court Justice Luc Martineau maintained the ruling on the grounds that Mr Galloway had given money to Hamas — proscribed in Canada as a terrorist organisation — and therefore posed a risk to national security.
Judge Martineau denied a request for an injunction to allow the MP in from America. In a written ruling, the judge said he was not willing to exempt Mr Galloway from Canada’s immigration laws.
In a video speech shown to supporters in Toronto on Monday, Mr Galloway, denying that he backed terrorism, said: “I am not a supporter of Hamas. But I am a supporter of democracy.”