THE Home Office has granted a visa for an award-winning poet's visit to Scotland following backlash.
Soukaina Habiballah, from Casablanca in Morocco, was due to speak at StAnza, an international poetry festival set to take place in St Andrews from March 8-10, but her visa was initially denied by the Home Office and she wasn't allowed into the UK.
This led to backlash, including from the festival’s artistic director, Ryan Van Winkle. He accused the Tory government of making a decision that was “insulting and humiliating”.
READ MORE: 'Insulting': Home Office blocks visa for award-winning poet before Scottish visit
Now, the Home Office has granted the visa, saying it came "after further information was provided".
A Home Office spokesperson added: “Applications must be considered on their individual merits, based on the information provided and in accordance with the immigration rules.”
Habiballah is the winner of the Nadeen Chamss Prize and other accolades, according to a biography on the Moroccan World Storytelling Cafe festival website. She has authored poetry collections including A Quarter Century of Sight (2014) and There’s No Need for You (2015), and a novel called The Barracks.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here