Sir Keir Starmer has come under political fire after welcoming Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah back into Britain following his release from prison and arrival here. Criticism surfaced following historical social media posts associated with Abdel Fattah that appear to endorse killing Zionists or police officers.
Abdel Fattah, who holds both Egyptian and British nationality citizenships, left Egypt earlier this week after being released from detention on charges of “spreading fake news”. In 2021 he had been held on charges related to sharing on Facebook an allegation of torture within Egypt; campaigning by his family led to their release as did diplomatic pressure from UK government representatives.
Political Reaction to Starmer’s Comments
Prime Minister Cameron expressed his joy that Abdel Fattah had arrived safely in Britain and been reunited with his family, prompting swift criticism from senior Conservatives such as shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick who termed those comments a serious error of judgement.
Jenrick pointed to messages written allegedly by Abdel Fattah that seemed to support violence against Zionists and police, leading him to write in support of such messages that appear supportive of violence against both groups. While such actions by state bodies or anyone are unacceptable, Jenrick believed a prime minister shouldn’t publicly associate himself with someone whose past remarks crossed into racism or bloodshed – thus justifying detention without trial for peaceful dissent without punishment being publically linked with such statements from Abdel Fattah’s past words had crossed into racist rhetoric or bloodshed”.
Critiques Leveled against Government in Response and Wider Criticisation of its Response.
Cabinet ministers including Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Justice Secretary David Lammy posted messages welcoming Abdel Fattah back to Britain, prompting further criticism from Jewish Leadership Council who expressed displeasure with what it referred to as an overly enthusiastic response by government.
The BBC understands that historical posts were not brought to the prime minister’s attention prior to making his remarks and ministers consider their content appalling. Official support, according to government sources, focused on Abdel Fattah being released from detention and becoming a British citizen.
Abdel Fattah’s Background Information
Abdel Fattah finally won his freedom after years of campaigning by his family, supported by high-profile figures including Judi Dench and Olivia Colman. Human rights groups had long contended that Abdel Fattah’s 2021 conviction and five year sentence stemmed from an unfair trial process.
Previous Conservative governments had also advocated for his release and return to Britain; one spokesperson indicated this point by emphasizing how successive administrations have prioritized efforts towards this end.
Labour sources charged Jenrick of trying to change history for political gain by altering events during lobbying efforts for Abdel Fattah’s release that have taken place over many administrations.
Past Controversies and Personal Context
Abdel Fattah became an influential voice during Egypt’s 2011 uprising which resulted in President Hosni Mubarak stepping down, prompting widespread unrest across Egypt. In 2014 he was nominated for Europe’s Sakharov Prize (a human rights award), yet this nomination was later revoked due to tweets posted about Israel back in 2012.
Abdel Fattah previously claimed his remarks were part of a private dialogue during an Israeli military offensive on Gaza and were misconstrued as being taken out of context.
After being released from an Egyptian travel ban that kept him within its borders for three months after release from detention, Abdel Fattah is back with his 14-year-old son in Brighton. Speaking with BBC in Cairo in October from Cairo about how best to rebuild his life after years in detention, he felt better than expected after speaking of how great life feels now that detention had ended.
