A radical British law firm that previously represented Hamas has renamed itself Riverway to the Sea in honor of the notorious pro-Palestinian chant.
Riverway to the Sea – formerly Riverway Law – announced the move last week “in response to escalating repression and growing global momentum for justice in Palestine,” and, more specifically, the proscription of Palestine Action this week.
Riverway Law first attracted attention when it submitted an appeal to the UK Home Department’s State Secretary Yvette Cooper in April, asking for Hamas to be removed from the list of proscribed terror groups because it “poses no threat to the UK people.”
Its 106-page appeal was fronted by Hamas’s head of international relations, Mousa Abu Marzouk.
Alongside the new name, the firm announced it is undergoing a restructuring whereby it will become a fresh legal organization “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,” it said.
Aim of 'full liberation from Zionism for all people in Palestine'
Riverway to the Sea’s new website says its mission is to “challenge state practices that violate international human rights and humanitarian law, ultimately contributing to the liberation of Palestine and the emergence of a single, democratic Palestinian state of all its citizens in the ashes of the failed, fascist experiment currently known as ‘Israel.’”
This is with the aim of “full liberation from Zionism for all people in Palestine – from the river to the sea.”
“We are entering a new chapter where the law is not simply a profession but a tool of empowerment, resistance, and transformation. Riverway Law stands ready to meet this moment with clarity, courage, and unity,” said Fahad Ansari, the solicitor and director of the organization.
The organization’s other director, barrister Franck Magennis, has previously been criticized by Jewish groups for his statements about Israel and Jews. On October 7, he posted: “Victory to the intifada” on X/Twitter and changed his profile picture to Hamas terrorists breaking through the Gaza security fence.
On July Saturday, he tweeted, “Elbit Systems UK Limited, you’d better be terrified of what’s coming. We’re gonna fucking destroy you. We’re only getting started. Tiocfaidh ár lá [“our day will come”], you Zionist scum.”
Magennis was a research fellow in Ramallah in 2019 with the Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq.
Ansari has posted many times on social media about Hamas’s “legitimate resistance.” In one such post, he uploaded an image of the Hamas bulldozer used to breach the Israeli border on October 7, calling it “one of the most iconic, hopeful images of our time.”
On June 22, he tweeted, “There won’t be an Israel in 2035.”
Robert Jenrick, the shadow secretary of state for justice and the shadow lord chancellor, told The Daily Telegraph: “This isn’t a law firm committed to upholding the rule of law – they are naked activists who seek to weaponize it. The [Solicitors Regulation Authority] needs to expedite their investigation so these disgusting individuals can be brought to heel.”