Ex-British MP Galloway in Canada a year after entry ban flap

Firebrand British former lawmaker George Galloway was in Canada after being declared persona non grata a year ago over his support for Hamas, The Toronto Star reported Sunday.

Galloway had been preemptively notified in March 2009 by border officials that his donations of cars and cash to the Hamas-run government in Gaza made him inadmissible to Canada, as Hamas is listed in Canada as terrorist organization.

He was later denied an injunction that might have allowed him to speak at anti-war forums in Canada. His supporters then sought a "judicial review of the government's decision to ban his entry from Canada."

A federal court last week dismissed an application by his supporters, saying: "Upon review, the court found that Mr. Galloway did not attempt to enter Canada, and so no legally reviewable decision to exclude him was made."

And Saturday Galloway was welcomed by a group of supporters at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, the Star reported online.

"I am very happy to be here in Canada and my presence here proves that Canada remains a country governed by laws and not by ?here today, gone tomorrow? politicians," Galloway was quoted as saying in the report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101003/wl_canada_afp/canadabritainhamasterrorism