Egyptian ‘extremist’ backs claims he is victim of ‘Zionist’ plot against him despite apologising for anti-Semitic and anti-British tweets
Controversial Egyptian dissident Alaa Abd El-Fattah has backed his claim that he was the victim of a ‘Zionist’ conspiracy.
Al-Fattah, 44, returned to the UK on Boxing Day after being released from Wadi al-Natrun Prison in Egypt following a UN investigation which found his imprisonment for spreading fake news was a breach of international law.
But Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced criticism for expressing his “delight” at Al-Fattah’s return and saying “welcome” to Britain after a series of aggressively anti-Semitic and anti-British tweets he posted in his 30s emerged online.
Al-Fattah issued a qualified apology early yesterday after the reactions increased, but claimed that some of his statements were ‘distorted’ from the context.
But a day before announcing his lengthy apology, it was revealed that Al-Fattah had liked a Facebook post by Egyptian lawyer and activist Khalid Ali, who said he was the victim of a “campaign launched by Zionists”.
No 10 has defended Keir Starmer’s handling of the Alaa Abd El-Fattah case, amid calls for him to be stripped of his British citizenship over disgusting outbursts about Jews, police and white people.
Yvette Cooper last night ordered an urgent investigation into ‘serious information failures’ which have left ministers stunned by Al-Fattah’s resurgent extremist comments, despite having been the subject of public debate for years.
Background checks are ‘wholly inadequate’, Foreign Secretary says.
Sir Keir last night admitted Al-Fattah’s social media posts, in which he called for the killing of Jews and police officers and expressed his hatred of white people, were ‘disgusting’.
Al-Fattah, 44, issued a qualified apology early yesterday after the backlash increased, but claimed some of his words were “distorted” out of context.
The day before announcing his lengthy apology, it was revealed that Al-Fattah had liked a Facebook post by Egyptian lawyer and activist Khaled Ali, claiming that he was the victim of a “campaign launched by Zionists”.
Downing Street insisted the Prime Minister was not aware of them when he expressed his ‘delight’ at Al-Fattah’s arrival in the UK last week.
However, he did not delete his tweet inviting him to England. Asked whether he was now ‘delighted’ to see the details of Al-Fattah’s comments, the Prime Minister’s spokesman said: ‘As in all cases, we welcome the return of a British national who has been wrongfully detained abroad.’
Conservatives branded Al-Fattah a ‘scum’ who should be deported. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: ‘He expresses his belief that Starmer still ‘welcomes’ this anti-British, anti-white, anti-Semitic extremist in our country. ‘It’s clear he won’t revoke his citizenship, he won’t deport him, and he won’t regret bringing him here.’
Conservative MP Jack Rankin said: ‘Al-Fattah is of course not welcome here. He is not British, he was automatically granted citizenship by the Whitehall machine because the courts applied European human rights laws, and the Home Secretary must use his powers to sack him immediately.’
Reform UK has promised changes to the law to make it easier to deport dual nationals who ‘express vile and anti-British views’.
Leader Nigel Farage said: ‘Both the Conservative and Labor governments have opened our doors to bad people.
‘The reform will change the law and make our country safe again. Will Starmer do the same?’
Al-Fattah arrived in the UK on Boxing Day after spending almost a decade in Egyptian prisons on multiple separate charges.
Minutes after the Prime Minister invited him back to Britain, critics unearthed a series of infamous tweets.
He had called for ‘the killing of all Zionists, including civilians’, in a series of messages dating back to 2010. He described the British as ‘dogs and monkeys’ and expressed his hatred for whites, saying he was ‘proud to be racist against whites’.
In a post from August 2011, when London was in the grip of riots, Al-Fattah wrote: ‘Go burn the city or Downing Street or hunt down the police, you idiots.’ He said police were ‘not human’ and added: ‘We should kill them all.’
Sir Keir last night admitted Al-Fattah’s social media posts, in which he called for the killing of Jews and police officers and expressed hatred for white people, were ‘disgusting’.
Al-Fattah (pictured), one of 25 detained activists of the January 25 Revolution in Egypt, is seen during Shura Council hearings at the Cairo Police Academy in Cairo, Egypt, in November 2014.
The Prime Minister’s spokesman described Al-Fattah’s apology as ‘pretty ridiculous’ and added: ‘This is absolutely the right thing to do.’
But Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the statement was an ‘insincere apology’.
He added: ‘What he said was absolutely disgusting. In my opinion, this guy is an asshole.
‘If I were Home Secretary, I would be signing an order today to revoke his citizenship. People who spew such hatred have no place in this country, and the fact that he has now apologized for being exposed does not change anything.’
Ms Cooper last night ordered an investigation into how the State Department failed to uncover Al-Fattah’s past. This is even more surprising considering that his tweets led to the cancellation of his nomination for an international human rights award in 2014.
The Foreign Secretary acknowledged that his and other senior ministers’ tweets celebrating Al-Fattah’s arrival in the UK ‘increased the distress felt by Jewish communities in the UK and I deeply regret this’.
Mr Farage forwarded Al-Fattah’s comments to counter-terrorism police. The Met Police said the posts were ‘being assessed to determine whether further police investigation is required’.
