Barred British MP taunts Canadian minister

OTTAWA, March 31 (UPI) -- A British member of Parliament, barred from Canada for his Middle East peace efforts, taunted the Canadian immigration minister electronically from New York.

MP George Galloway used an Internet video link to speak to a Toronto anti-war group Monday night about a recent aid mission he made to Gaza, The Globe and Mail reported.

However, Canadian Immigration Minister Jason Kenney ordered officials to deny him entry into Canada, saying he was helping Hamas, which Canada considers a terrorist organization for its refusal to recognize the Israeli state.

Monday, a judge upheld the ruling, prompting Galloway to make a personal attack on Kenney, the National Post reported.

"It is poetic justice that the message I would have brought ... will now be heard and seen by so many more people than Jason Kenney could have imagined," Galloway said. "Do you know what, Kenney? I think it's spectacularly backfired. And here's why: It's just not credible to call a five-times elected, 23-year member of British Parliament a terrorist or a security threat."

There was no immediate response from Kenney.