Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces mounting criticism for celebrating the return of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, after past social media posts emerged appearing to call for violence against "Zionists" and police. Jewish organizations have condemned the government's "effusive welcome" as showing an "astonishing lack of due diligence."
Abd El-Fattah returned to the UK on Boxing Day after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi granted him a pardon. The activist had spent years in detention, including a five-year sentence handed down in December 2021 for "spreading false news."
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.»
Controversial posts surface
The backlash centers on social media posts dating back to 2010 attributed to Abd El-Fattah's X account. The Press Association could not verify the authenticity of the posts.
In 2014, Abd El-Fattah's nomination for the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize was withdrawn after a 2012 tweet calling for the murder of Israelis came to light.
A No 10 source described the newly emerged posts as "abhorrent" but rejected the idea that welcoming Abd El-Fattah's return constituted an endorsement of his political views.
Jewish groups voice alarm
The Board of Deputies of British Jews issued a statement expressing "profound concern" about Abd El-Fattah's social media history: «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.»
The Jewish Leadership Council said it was "appalled" by the government's response. The organization stated: «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.»
Political backlash intensifies
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick called the Prime Minister's remarks a "serious error of judgment." In a letter to Starmer, he wrote: «Given Mr Abd El-Fattah's record of extremist statements about violence, Jews and the police, it was a serious error of judgment.»
Jenrick demanded clarification: «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 added: «Nobody should be imprisoned arbitrarily, nor for peaceful dissent. But neither should the Prime Minister place the authority of his office behind someone whose own words cross into the language of racism and bloodshed.»
Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith posted on X that he regrets his involvement in campaigning 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,» he wrote.
Activist's background
Abd El-Fattah was a leading voice in Egypt's 2011 Arab Spring uprising that forced President Hosni Mubarak to resign. He was detained in September 2019 and sentenced to five years in December 2021.
His mother, Laila Soueif, undertook an eight-month hunger strike to draw attention to his case. Abd El-Fattah has a 14-year-old son who lives in Brighton and attends a special educational needs school.
UN investigators branded his imprisonment a breach of international law. His release was secured after months of negotiations between Egypt and the UK, with Starmer's national security advisor Jonathan Powell understood to have pressured the Egyptian government.
A Foreign Office spokesperson 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 previous Conservative government also advocated for Abd El-Fattah's release as part of a years-long cross-party campaign.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
