George Galloway, the head of the Workers Party of Britain, traveled to Tehran earlier this week where he received an award named after the dead Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, according to British and Iranian media reports.
The award, according to WANA, was also given to Clare Daly and Mick Wallace, former Members of the European Parliament.
During the visit, Galloway reportedly boasted that his most “treasured” possession was Haniyeh’s passport.
“I am honoured to receive this award. I actually hold in my safe the passport of the martyr Ismail Haniyeh because when we arrived with one of our convoys to break the siege on Gaza [in 2009], he had promised me a Palestinian passport but they had run out of Palestinian passports. So he gave me his own personal passport and it is one of my most treasured possessions,” Galloway shared while receiving the Martyr Ismail Haniyeh award at a media festival.
Galloway led a delegation that he said delivered some $1.1 million of humanitarian aid to Gaza in 2009, the Jerusalem Post reported at the time. Ahmed Kurd, Hamas's former minister of social affairs, thanked Galloway for the "noble goodwill gesture" and called the lawmaker a "hero."
Galloway also took the opportunity to praise Tehran “for their steadfastness in support of the Palestinian people”, adding: “The truth is when Palestine is finally free, Iran will be able to take its place in the panoply of heroes who made it possible.”
Galloway credited Yemen with providing the second most support to “Palestine.”
The Iran-backed Houthi terror group, not recognized as the official government of Yemen, has launched aerial attacks on Israel and disrupted international shipping in, what it claims, as solidarity to be, solidarity with Palestinians.
MUST-WATCH from @georgegalloway: With Yemen coming in a close second, no country on EARTH has done more than Iran to help free the Palestinians.Follow: https://t.co/GKZwI4ehqL pic.twitter.com/6O6dRJMspP
— Press TV (@PressTV) May 5, 2025
A legal expert advised the Telegraph that while Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization in Britain, Galloway’s words may not have been enough to breach the country’s terrorism laws.
While the legal expert suggested Galloway’s time in Tehran may not have broken the law, UK officials and members of the Jewish community were critical of his actions.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “Galloway’s behavior is appalling. Hamas is a banned terrorist organization responsible for repressing its citizens in Gaza and murdering innocent civilians. It is despicable that Galloway has expressed admiration for a senior member of their leadership and that he has travelled to Iran, a state hostile to the West, to do so.
“The fact he has then topped it off with a visit to Vladimir Putin’s Russia, another murderous regime, says all you need to know about George Galloway.”
After visiting Tehran, the 70-year-old former member of parliament traveled to Moscow, where he described Russia’s show of military strength as “moving, emotional, inspiring, humbling.”
Stephen Brisley, whose sister Lianne Sharabi and two nieces Yahel, 13, and Noya, 16, were killed on Kibbutz Be’eri, told the Telegraph: “It’s deeply disturbing to see George Galloway praising a former leader of Hamas. This is a cruel blow to the grieving families of those murdered, missing, or held hostage by Hamas.”
The professional history of George Galloway
Galloway was a member of the Labour Party from 1987 until 2003 when he was expelled for bringing the party into disrepute. The Guardian reported at the time that Galloway was charged with inciting Arabs to fight British troops, inciting British troops to defy orders, inciting Plymouth voters to reject Labour MPs, threatening to stand against Labour, and backing an anti-war candidate in Preston. Galloway had only been acquitted of the fifth charge.
After his expulsion from Labour, he ran as an Independent Labour candidate from 2003 until 2004. Following this, he became affiliated with the since-dissolved Respect Party until 2015.
He lost his seat in Rochdale only months after winning in 2024.
In one of the most notable moves in Galloway’s political career, he declared Bradford an “Israel-free zone.” He was given a criminal caution for inciting racial hatred by West Yorkshire Police for this move, The Guardian reported in 2014.
"We don't want any Israeli goods, we don't want any Israeli services, we don't want any Israeli academics coming to the university or the college, we don't even want any Israeli tourists to come to Bradford, even if any of them had thought of doing so,” The Guardian cited Galloway as saying.
Galloway later became a radio host for TalkRadio but was fired in 2019 for antisemitism after he claimed “no Israel flags on the cup” would be the consequence of the Tottenham Hotspur Football Club failing to make it to the Champions League. Tottenham, also known as Spurs, is a club strongly associated with the Jewish Community but is unaffiliated with Israel.