Highlights
- Gomez blocked from entering UK for May rally.
- Burned Quran during failed Texas campaign.
- Spoke at September rally with 100,000 attendees.
Valentina Gomez is a 26-year-old US-based influencer who has been blocked from entering the UK. Home secretary Shabana Mahmood cancelled her travel permission ahead of a planned rally on May 16.
Gomez was born in Medellin, Colombia, and moved to the United States when she was ten years old.
She calls herself a Christian and Maga influencer. She became known through anti-Islam stunts and failed attempts to win political office.
Failed political runs
Gomez tried to get elected in Missouri and Texas. Her campaigns focused heavily on opposing Islam. During her bid for Congress, she posted videos saying she wanted to "end Islam in Texas".
In one campaign video, she told Muslims to leave the state. She said they could go to "any of the 57 Muslim nations".
Last August, she filmed herself burning a copy of the Quran with a flamethrower. This was part of her campaign material.
She promised to remove Islam from Texas if she won power.
What she said
Gomez spoke at a large rally in London last September. The event was organised by Tommy Robinson and drew between 100,000 and 150,000 people. It was one of the biggest far-right rallies in British history.
On stage, she told the crowd that "rapist Muslims" were "taking over" the UK. She said England had lost its weapons and people needed to fight back.
She warned them to "fight for this nation or you let all of these rapist Muslims and corrupt politicians take over".
She also spoke directly to police officers. She told them to "stop following orders because you know you are being told to look the other way while your country is being raped into submission".
At the same rally, she said Islam was "the sword that the left is using to destroy Christian nations".
The ban
Last week, Gomez said on social media that her UK travel permission had been approved. She planned to speak at the May 16 rally.
The Muslim Council of Britain wrote to the home secretary. They said allowing Gomez to come would make the streets less safe.
On Monday, the Home Office cancelled her permission. They said her presence would not be "conducive to the public good".
This is the same reason used to block rapper Kanye West from entering the UK this month.
After learning about the ban, Gomez posted on X. She said she would come to "England on a boat" and challenged the government to stop her.
In a video, she made racist comments about Shabana Mahmood. After the ban, Gomez posted a defiant video on X, claiming she would enter the UK "on a boat" and that the ban was "because I'm not coming to rape or kill little girls".
She also said president Trump's White House would help if she was arrested. Muslim groups welcomed the ban. They want it used as an example for others planning to attend the rally.
