&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Valentina Gomez blocked from entering UK, claims banned 'because I’m not coming to rape or kill little girls'")
A US-based influencer known for her anti-Islam rhetoric was initially granted permission to enter Britain, but has now been banned by the Home Secretary days before a planned appearance at a far-right rally in London. Valentina Gomez, 26, a self-styled MAGA influencer born in Colombia, had been issued a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation to attend the Unite the Kingdom rally on May 16, an event organised by Tommy Robinson, aka Stephen Yaxley-Lennon. However, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood intervened to withdraw the authorisation. Despite the ban, Gomez says she will enter "England on a boat". What's happening? Here's all you need to know.
Why was Valentina Gomez blocked from entering the UK?
The US influencer, as per reports, was blocked from entering Britain because her presence "would not be conducive to the public good." Notably, the same language was used last month when Kanye West's ETA was pulled over a string of antisemitic and pro-Nazi comments.
The ban came after sustained pressure on the Home Office to act. Cross-bench peer Shaista Gohir had publicly called on the Home Office to "show consistent standards and deny UK entry to Valentina Gomez." The Muslim Council of Britain, which had flagged the inconsistency of initially granting her authorisation while others had been denied entry for comparable rhetoric targeting different communities, welcomed the reversal.
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Gomez to enter the UK without a permit?
As news about her getting blocked from entering the UK spread, Gomez took to X to announce that she would arrive by boat instead. "They can try to ban me, but they cannot ban the TRUTH. See you May 16th," she wrote. In an accompanying video, she racially abused Mahmood and claimed her ban was "because I'm not coming to rape or kill little girls," a reference to the inflammatory rhetoric she has built her platform on.
Gomez had attended the first Unite the Kingdom rally in September last year, where she told a crowd estimated at over 100,000 people, thought to be the largest far-right gathering of its kind in British history, that "rapist Muslims" were "taking over" the UK. She also urged police officers to "stop following orders because you know you are being told to look the other way while your country is being raped into submission."
Who is Valentina Gomez?
Gomez first gained widespread attention in August last year when she burned a copy of the Quran and vowed to "end Islam in Texas" if elected to Congress. She lost her bid for the Republican nomination. Her platform has continued to grow, regardless.
