The United Kingdom delivered a stinging rebuke to Hamas sympathizers this week, denying entry to Mandla Mandela despite his famous surname and diplomatic passport.

In their decision on Sunday, Britain’s Home Office cited damning evidence of Mandela’s Hamas ties, including his Instagram posts openly supporting the terrorist organization. Most telling was Mandela’s photo-op with former Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, killed in a Tehran strike this July. Hamas remains a designated terrorist organization under British law.

‘As such, your presence in the UK is considered to pose a threat to UK society as it would be highly likely to cause tensions amongst UK Jewish communities. It is in the interests of the community to refuse your visa to protect public safety and prevent disorder or crime in the UK,’ the letter states.

Predictably, Mandela retreated to familiar rhetoric, attempting to drape himself in his grandfather’s legacy by comparing the visa denial to apartheid-era restrictions.

‘We can never be silenced*,* and we will never let the refusal of a visa prevent us from standing for justice, peace*,* and equality,’ he told the Associated Press. ‘We will continue to raise our voice against the unjust occupation, genocide*,* and ethnic cleansing of Gaza and all of Occupied Palestine sponsored by the UK and its ilk.’

While the usual chorus of pro-Hamas organizations rushed to condemn Britain’s decision, such as the UK-based Sheffield Palestine Coalition against Israeli Apartheid, the Home Office’s move represents exactly the kind of backbone Western democracies need in confronting terrorism’s apologists.