Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces sharp criticism for celebrating the return of democracy activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah to the UK after past social media posts emerged appearing to call for violence against "Zionists" and police.
The British-Egyptian dual national returned to the UK on Boxing Day following his release from Egyptian detention. Jewish organizations and opposition politicians have condemned the government's "effusive welcome" as a "serious error of judgment."
Starmer posted on X: «I'm delighted that Alaa Abd El-Fattah is back in the UK and has been reunited with his loved ones, who must be feeling profound relief. I want to pay tribute to Alaa's family, and to all those that have worked and campaigned for this moment. Alaa's case has been a top priority for my government since we came to office. I'm grateful to President Sisi for his decision to grant the pardon.»
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Justice Secretary David Lammy echoed similar sentiments of delight.
Government now condemns posts as "abhorrent"
A No 10 source stated that Starmer, Lammy, and Cooper were unaware of Abd El-Fattah's historical social media posts when they welcomed his return. The source rejected the idea that welcoming his return was an endorsement of his political views.
A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: «Mr El-Fattah is a British citizen. It has been a long-standing priority under successive governments to work for his release from detention, and to see him reunited with his family in the UK. The Government condemns Mr El-Fattah's historic tweets and considers them to be abhorrent.»
Sharp criticism from Jewish organizations
The Jewish Leadership Council stated: «We are appalled by the effusive welcome Alaa Abd El-Fattah has received from the UK Government. The Prime Minister recently reiterated his determination to root out antisemitism from our country but has now shared his delight that someone who has advocated for killing Zionists has arrived in the UK. We know from Heaton Park, Manchester and Bondi Beach that there are those who hear such words as a call to action. The Government has celebrated Mr Abd El-Fattah's arrival as a victory, British Jews will see it as yet another reminder of the danger we face.»
The Board of Deputies of British Jews raised concerns with the government, stating: «The social media history that has emerged from Alaa abd El-Fattah is of profound concern. His previous extremist and violent rhetoric aimed at 'Zionists' and white people in general is threatening to British Jews and the wider public. The cross-party campaign for such a person, and the warm welcome issued by the Government, demonstrate a broken system with an astonishing lack of due diligence by the authorities.»
Opposition demands answers
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick wrote to Starmer describing the Prime Minister's remarks as a "personal, public endorsement." He stated: «Given Mr Abd El-Fattah's record of extremist statements about violence, Jews and the police, it was a serious error of judgment.»
In his letter, Jenrick asked: «Do you condemn them without qualification, including the endorsement of killing Israelis and 'Zionists' and the calls to kill police and burn Downing Street?» He demanded Starmer "correct the record" and withdraw his "unalloyed endorsement."
Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith posted on X that he regrets signing a letter calling for Abd El-Fattah's release: «I do… regret signing the letter calling for the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, given his views, that have since come to light, are utterly abhorrent. Had I known of these, I would not have signed the letter. I urge the police to investigate the nature of these extremist comments.»
Background on Abd El-Fattah
Abd El-Fattah was a leading voice in Egypt's 2011 Arab Spring uprising. He was detained in September 2019 and sentenced in December 2021 to five years in prison on charges of spreading false news. UN investigators branded his imprisonment a breach of international law.
He received a presidential pardon from Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi and was released in September. After several months of travel negotiations between Egypt and the UK, he was reunited with his family in Brighton on Boxing Day. His 14-year-old son lives in Brighton and attends a special educational needs school.
In 2014, Abd El-Fattah's nomination for the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize was withdrawn after a 2012 tweet calling for the murder of Israelis came to light. The controversial social media posts date back to between 2008 and 2012.
Successive UK governments, including those led by Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and Rishi Sunak, had campaigned for his release. Abd El-Fattah conducted hunger strikes during his imprisonment, and his mother, Laila Soueif, undertook an eight-month hunger strike to draw attention to his case.
The Press Association could not verify the authenticity of the social media posts attributed to Abd El-Fattah's X account.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
