“For someone like me, who has lost everything in Gaza, this opportunity is a new beginning for a family that has endured the horrors of genocide, displacement, and the loss of relatives and friends for more than two years”
A mum-of-three from Gaza was subjected to horrific racist abuse, after her appeal to move her family to the UK and “live her dream” was bizarrely blasted by former Home Secretary and Reform MP Suella Braverman.
Alaa Radwan escaped Gaza with her family in 2024, after their home was destroyed by Israeli bombardment. They fled to Egypt, and managed to keep in contact with their family and friends in war-torn Palestine.
Last month, Alaa recieved an unconditional offer from Goldsmith’s University to study a Master’s degree in Media and Communications. She launched a GoFundMe fundraiser to help pay for her, and her family, to reach the UK.
She told the Mirror: “This is a dream for me, and now I’m giving the chance to pursue this dream. It’s a new beginning for me and my family because my plan is to study an MA and then like chase any possibility of having a PhD as well after that. So it is a new beginning for a family that has lost everything in Gaza.”
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But, after making an appeal on social media cesspit X, Suella Braverman reposted Alaa’s message. The Reform MP blasted Alaa, claiming she should be coming to the UK alone if she wanted to study – leaving her husband and three young children behind.
Ms Braverman wrote: “You don’t need to bring your husband and three children to do a degree in Media Studies. Universities need to stop selling immigration instead of education.”
Alaa was immediately hounded online by right-wing fanatics, throwing racist abuse her way. She was forced to delete her X account after “the attacks became overwhelming”.
Alaa told the Mirror: “Suella Braverman led the attack on me. She wrote that I don’t need to bring my three kids and husband, and that UK universities should stop selling immigration.
“This is just to separate a mum from three traumatised kids under five years old. They are very small and they can’t possibly be separated from their mum.
“A lot of people then messaged me, saying that I am not welcome in the UK, and I shouldn’t be bringing my kids and husband, and they shouldn’t be paying for my family. I raised the funds on GoFundMe, and it’s fully self-funded. I wouldn’t be taking any money from anyone and we are planning to support ourselves in the UK.”
Alaa posted some of the abuse she recieved on her personal substack. It included messages from anonymous individuals, such as: “Don’t come to the UK. We don’t want you. We hate your kind. F*** off.”
Another person said: “You are not wanted or welcome in my country.”
Other messages included “Don’t come here you ain’t welcome”, and “Nobody needs you to bring your whole f****** family”.
One X user, whose bio claimed “Jesus is king”, told Alaa: “F*** you stay in your country”.
Alaa told the Mirror: “I raised the fund of GoFundMe and it’s fully self-funded, so I wouldn’t be taking any money from anyone.
“We are planning to support ourselves in the UK because even if I’m studying full-time, I’m still allowed by the law to work 20 hours per week.”
After successfully raising more than £40,000, Alaa and her family have finally raised enough to accept her place at Goldsmith’s University, and move to the UK. She’s paid the deposit, and is about to apply for visas.
She even explained in full on her GoFundMe how the money raised would be spent. The biggest chunk – £21,000 – would be spent on tuition fees, but she still needed about £6,500 for visa applications.
Alaa’s now hoping that she can look forward to a bright future for herself, and her family.
“It’s like a new beginning for our family,” she said. “For someone like me, who has lost everything in Gaza, this opportunity is a new beginning for a family that has endured the horrors of genocide, displacement, and the loss of relatives and friends for more than two years.”
You can help Alaa’s family with their move to the UK by donating on her GoFundMe appeal
