Keir Starmer ‘delighted’ over release of prisoner who ‘called for killing of Israelis’ | UK | News
Sir Keir Starmer was attacked after expressing his “delight” at the extradition of a political prisoner from Egypt to the UK. British citizen Alaa Abd al-Fattah, who spent more than a decade in prison and was found guilty of “spreading fake news”, has been pardoned by the Egyptian government, backed by A-list celebrities and the Labor Party.
But Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick criticized the Prime Minister for his comments, particularly in the wake of the horrific anti-Semitic terror attack on Bondi Beach, on the grounds that Abdel Fattah had previously called for the killing of Israelis on social media. He dismissed the comments as a “serious error of judgement”, pointing to Sir Keir’s recent promise to “eradicate antisemitism in the UK” in the wake of the terror attack.
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper also made statements about X, stating that they were “delighted” to return to the UK this week.
A letter to the Government said: “Yesterday you said you were ‘delighted’ to have Alaa Abd El-Fattah return to this country, described his case as the ‘number one priority’ for your Government, and thanked President Sisi for granting amnesty.
“This was not a silent consular endorsement. This was a personal, public endorsement from the Prime Minister. Given Mr. Abd El-Fattah’s extremist statements… this was a serious error of judgment.”
Accordingly Times of IsraelMr. Abd El-Fattah wrote on November 15, 2012: “We have a critical number of Israelis that we need to kill and then the (Palestine) problem will be solved”.
The next day he reportedly wrote: “There should be no equal relations or any other relationship with Israel. Israel must come to an end.”
Mr Jenrick emphasized that Mr Abd el-Fattah’s nomination for the human rights Sakharov Prize was canceled after these comments emerged.
Continuing his letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Jenrick said the “timing could not be worse”, choosing to “make a public welcome” at a time when Jewish communities are “understandably deeply concerned and looking to you for leadership on extremism”.
He asked the Labor leader if he would condemn the alleged remarks and continued: “Did you know about these statements before you published your ‘delighted’ message?”
Alaa Abd el-Fattah was a prominent pro-democracy campaigner in Egypt who was most recently imprisoned on charges of “spreading fake news” over a Facebook post about torture in the country.
He was a key figure and blogger during the 2011 Egyptian Uprising that led to the overthrow of former president Hosni Mubarak, who was later prosecuted for the deaths of peaceful protesters.
President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi granted amnesty to Mr Abdel Fattah in September but he was prevented from leaving the country. He flew to England this week after being removed from the travel ban list.
He derives his British citizenship from his mother, Laila Soueif, who almost died twice while on hunger strike while pressing for his release.
A London-born mathematics professor met Sir Keir to lobby for his son’s freedom. The campaign received support from celebrities including Dame Judi Dench and Olivia Colman.
Sir Keir’s message about
“I want to express my gratitude to Alaa’s family and everyone who worked and campaigned for this moment. Alaa’s case has been one of the top priorities for my government since we took office. I am grateful to President Sisi for his decision to grant the pardon.”
Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy added: “I am delighted that Alaa Abd El-Fattah has been reunited with his family in the UK. I thank the Egyptian Government for this outcome. I first met Opposition Alaa’s family and promised them that I would do everything in my power to advocate for his return. It is a great relief that this has now happened.”
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “I am delighted that Alaa Abd El-Fattah has arrived in the UK and is with his family. Alaa’s case was our Government’s top priority and I welcome President Sisi’s acceptance of this pardon. I express my gratitude to Alaa’s family for their tireless determination to reunite.”
A Government spokesman said Great Britain News: “Mr Al-Fattah is a British national. Working to have him released from custody and reunited with his family in the UK has long been a priority for successive governments.”‘
