British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing criticism following his public welcome of Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who recently returned to the UK after being released from prison in Egypt. The controversy stems from resurfaced social media posts attributed to Abd El-Fattah, containing language interpreted as inciting violence against “Zionists.”<\/p>\n
Several British Jewish organizations and opposition figures have condemned Starmer’s reception of the activist. The Board of Deputies of British Jews expressed “grave concerns” regarding Abd El-Fattah’s past statements, characterizing them as “extremist and violent rhetoric targeting Zionists and, more broadly, white people, posing a threat to British Jews and the wider public.”<\/p>\n
Conservative Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has called for Abd El-Fattah’s British citizenship to be revoked and for his deportation. Starmer had previously lauded Abd El-Fattah’s return to Britain, stating that his case had been an “absolute priority” for the government since he assumed office in July 2024.<\/p>\n
However, the resurfacing of tweets from 2010, in which Abd El-Fattah allegedly called for “killing Zionists,” prompted swift condemnation from the British government. A Foreign Office spokesperson stated that the government “condemns the previous tweets by Abd El-Fattah and considers them abhorrent,” adding that “successive governments have long prioritized his release and return to his family in the UK.”<\/p>\n
Abd El-Fattah returned to the UK on Friday, having obtained British citizenship in 2022 through his mother, Laila Soueif, a prominent figure in Egypt’s left-wing intellectual circles, while he was incarcerated. He was released in September following a presidential pardon after serving years in prison. His family, human rights organizations, and the British government had consistently campaigned for his release, with his mother, Laila Soueif, even staging a hunger strike. A Cairo criminal court had also ordered his removal from a list of terrorist entities in July, according to a court decision.<\/p>\n