A law firm that is representing Hamas in its bid for deproscription in the UK has renamed itself Riverway to the Sea.
Formerly called Riverway Law, the controversial firm announced its rebrand last week, describing it as “a new front in the struggle against Zionism”.
Under its new name – a reference to the pro-Palestinian slogan “from the River to the Sea, Palestine shall be free” – the firm states that it aims to contribute to the “emergence of a single, democratic Palestinian state of all its citizens in the ashes of the failed, fascist experiment currently known as ‘Israel’”.
It also plans to use the UK’s legal framework to challenge Israel and “the racist ideology of Zionism,” through “legal education, robust critical debate, and the strategic coordination of international legal actions,” according to its website.
The firm attracted criticism in April under its previous name when it launched an appeal to have Hamas removed from the UK’s list of banned terror groups.
It submitted a 106-page application fronted by Mousa Abu Marzouk, Hamas’s head of international relations and its legal office, to the Home Office. It claimed the group posed “no threat to the UK people” and should be allowed to operate in Britain on free speech grounds.
Days later, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick reported the firm to the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), claiming it may be in breach of UK sanctions rules.
In a letter to the watchdog, Jenrick said there was “a clear need to uphold public confidence in the legal profession and to ensure rigorous enforcement of the UK sanctions regime”.
He drew attention to social media posts allegedly made by Fahad Ansari, the leading lawyer in the case and the director of the firm.
In one post, Ansari reportedly called Hamas “a legitimate resistance movement”.
He also apparently referred to an image of a Hamas bulldozer breaching the Israeli border on October 7 as “one of the most iconic, hopeful images of our time.”
But Ansari defended his firm and said it had taken actions that meant it had not breached its regulatory duties.
The SRA opened an investigation into the firm in May, which was still in its early phase last month when Riverway Law ceased trading, according to reports in the Telegraph. The firm is no longer regulated by the SRA.
In a statement on its website, the firm said: “In response to escalating repression and growing global momentum for justice in Palestine, we are proud to announce that Riverway Law is undergoing a restructure whereby it will become the legal arm of the newly launched Riverway to the Sea – a movement-embedded legal organisation committed to confronting Zionism through strategic litigation, legal education, and international coordination.
“We have therefore taken the decision to close the practice in its current manifestation and will soon be reopening a new firm that will be better equipped to deal with the challenges of our times.”
When the JC reported on Ansari’s social media posts in April, a Riverway spokesperson said: "There is an established convention that lawyers shall not be identified with their clients or their clients' causes as a result of discharging their functions, precisely because it endangers lawyers for carrying out their duties.
"We are also familiar with the British state’s history of breaching this convention, the dark low point of which resulted in the murder of lawyers like Patrick Finucane and Rosemarie Nelson. More recently in 2020, the Law Society and Bar Council had to write to former Home Secretary Priti Patel requesting her to refrain from making such attacks on immigration lawyers after a Far-Right terrorist attacked the staff in the offices of a well-known immigration firm in London.
“Any media outlet that continues to promote this narrative in relation to us is effectively placing a target on our backs, and knows it. Our staff have already been inundated with hate calls and death threats with attempts to dox them. We will hold you responsible for any consequential harm that may result from your coverage.”
Ansari featured prominently in a video posted by the firm of the legal team submitting the application to the Home Office and was tagged by name on its social media.
Riverway did not respond to requests for comment.
