Key Takeaways
- UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing pressure to retract his comments welcoming the return of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah to the UK.
- El-Fattah’s old social media posts have surfaced, revealing calls for violence against "Zionists" and police, leading to widespread condemnation.
- The opposition Conservatives are calling for El-Fattah to be stripped of his citizenship and deported to Egypt.
- The UK government has condemned El-Fattah’s historic tweets, but is facing criticism for not conducting proper due diligence before welcoming him back to the country.
Introduction to the Controversy
The UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, is under fire for his recent comments welcoming the return of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah to the UK. El-Fattah, who was detained in Egypt for years, was released and returned to the UK after diplomatic efforts by the British government. However, his return has been marred by the discovery of old social media posts that have sparked widespread outrage. The posts, which date back to 2010, reveal El-Fattah’s calls for violence against "Zionists" and police, leading to condemnation from various quarters.
The Social Media Posts
The tweets, which were first reported by The Daily Telegraph, include statements such as "I consider killing any colonialists and especially Zionists heroic, we need to kill more of them" and "There was no genocide against Jews by the Nazis – after all, many Jews are left." Another tweet reads: "Dear Zionists, please don’t ever talk to me, I’m a violent person who advocated the killing of all Zionists including civilians, so f*** off." El-Fattah also wrote: "Police are not human, they don’t have rights, we should just kill them all." These posts have been widely condemned, with many calling for El-Fattah to be held accountable for his words.
Government Response
The UK government has condemned El-Fattah’s historic tweets, describing them as "abhorrent." A Foreign Office statement 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." However, the government is facing criticism for not conducting proper due diligence before welcoming El-Fattah back to the country. The opposition Conservatives are calling for El-Fattah to be stripped of his citizenship and deported to Egypt.
Calls for Action
Shadow justice minister Robert Jenrick, of the opposition Conservatives, has called on the Prime Minister to retract his comments expressing "delight" at El-Fattah’s arrival and begin proceedings to revoke his citizenship and deport him. The Board of Deputies of British Jews has also raised concerns about El-Fattah’s past comments, saying that they are "threatening to British Jews and the wider public." The organization has called for the government to take measures to keep the Jewish community and the wider public safe, and to ensure that proper due diligence is being taken on such cases going forward.
Background on El-Fattah
El-Fattah was a leading voice in Egypt’s 2011 Arab Spring uprising. He was detained in Egypt in September 2019 and sentenced to five years in prison on charges of spreading false news. His imprisonment was branded a breach of international law by UN investigators, and international campaigns were launched to get him freed. El-Fattah’s mother went on a long-running hunger strike as part of her efforts to secure his release. He himself went on hunger strike this March while behind bars and was later released after being pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi.
Conclusion
The controversy surrounding El-Fattah’s return to the UK has sparked a heated debate about the government’s handling of the situation. While the government has condemned El-Fattah’s historic tweets, it is facing criticism for not conducting proper due diligence before welcoming him back to the country. The opposition Conservatives are calling for El-Fattah to be stripped of his citizenship and deported to Egypt, while the Board of Deputies of British Jews is calling for measures to be taken to keep the Jewish community and the wider public safe. The situation highlights the need for careful consideration and due diligence when dealing with individuals who have made extremist or violent comments in the past.