Starmer criticised for welcoming return of Egyptian activist
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick criticized Sir Keir Starmer for welcoming the arrival of an Egyptian pro-democracy activist to the UK; after historic social media messages emerged showing the campaigner openly calling for the killing of Zionists.
Alaa Abdel Fattah, a dual British citizen, left Egypt earlier this week after being released from prison following a presidential pardon.
He was convicted of “spreading fake news” in 2021 after sharing a Facebook post about torture in the country.
The Prime Minister said he was “delighted” to hear that the activist had come to the UK to be reunited with his family and that his case had long been a “top priority” for the government.
But Jenrick said Sir Keir’s remarks were a “serious error of judgement” and pointed to a series of messages from Mr Abdel Fattah more than a decade ago endorsing the killing of “Zionists” and “police”.
The shadow justice secretary added that the prime minister’s message implied “personal, public support” for the activist.
“No one should be imprisoned arbitrarily or for peaceful dissent. But the prime minister should not place the authority of his office behind someone whose words embody the language of racism and bloodshed,” Jenrick wrote in a letter. he said.
Cabinet ministers, including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Justice Minister David Lammy, also issued similar messages of support after Abdel Fattah’s return.
The Jewish Leadership Council, a charity representing Jewish organizations in the UK, criticized what it described as an “enthusiastic reception” from the UK government.
The BBC understands that the activist’s messages were not brought to the prime minister’s attention until they were highlighted in recent days, and that the government considered them disgusting.
Abdülfettah’s His release in September came after a long campaign by his family – backed by celebrities including actress Dame Judi Dench and Olivia Colman – and lobbying by the British government.
He had spent more than a decade of his life behind bars, including being sentenced to five years in prison in December 2021 after a trial that human rights groups said was grossly unfair.
Former The conservative administration also lobbied for the activist’s release. and a government spokesman said: “He is a British citizen. Working to have him released from custody and reunited with his family in the UK has been a long-standing priority under successive governments.”
A Labor source also accused Jenrick of trying to rewrite history for his own political advantage.
Author, intellectual and software developer Abdel Fattah rose to prominence during the 2011 uprising that forced former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak to resign.
Abdel Fattah was nominated for the Sakharov Prize, a European human rights award, in 2014, but the award was withdrawn due to tweets he shared about Israel in 2012.
He said his comments were part of a “private conversation” that took place during Israel’s attack on Gaza and were taken out of context.
Abdel Fattah, who was removed from Egyptian authorities’ travel ban list that kept him in the country for three months after his release from prison, has now been reunited with his 14-year-old son, who lives in Brighton.
Speaking to the BBC from Cairo in October after his release, he had said: “I’m learning how to get back into life.”
He added: “I’m doing much better than I expected. Much better than most people expected.”
