Sir Keir Starmer is facing criticism for publicly celebrating the return of British-Egyptian democracy activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah to the UK. While Starmer, along with other government ministers, expressed delight at his reunion with family after his release from detention in Egypt, the celebration has drawn backlash due to past social media posts attributed to Abd El-Fattah. Critics, including the Jewish Leadership Council and Conservative MP Robert Jenrick, have pointed to these posts, some dating back to 2010, which appear to contain "extremist" views, including calls for violence against "Zionists" and the police, and advocating for the murder of Israelis.
Jenrick specifically criticized Starmer's "endorsement" as a serious error in judgment, questioning whether the Prime Minister was aware of these statements prior to his public welcome. He also noted that Abd El-Fattah's nomination for the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize was withdrawn in 2014 due to a tweet calling for the murder of Israelis. The Jewish Leadership Council expressed dismay, stating that while the government reiterates its commitment to combating antisemitism, it has now welcomed someone who has advocated for killing Zionists, which they see as a concerning message given recent antisemitic incidents.
A No 10 source defended the government's stance, stating that welcoming Abd El-Fattah's return was not an endorsement of his political views and that the social media posts had not previously been brought to the attention of Starmer or other senior ministers, with the government finding such views "abhorrent." The Foreign Office emphasized that Abd El-Fattah is a British citizen and securing his release had been a long-standing priority for successive governments. Abd El-Fattah was detained in Egypt in September 2019 and sentenced to five years in prison in December 2021 for spreading false news, with his imprisonment previously being called a breach of international law by UN investigators. He was released following a presidential pardon.