Reform UK leader condemns PM for welcoming Britain-Egyptian activist

Nigel Farage has erupted at Sir Keir Starmer over the return of a Britain-Egyptian activist to the UK after past social media posts emerged. The Prime Minister said he was “delighted” to welcome Alaa Abd El-Fattah back to Britain following his release from prison in Egypt.

But Sir Keir is facing criticism after now-deleted posts on X came to light which appear to show Mr Abd El-Fattah expressing hatred of white people and calling for violence towards Zionists and the police. Reacting to his return, Reform UK leader Mr Farage said: “This Government just gets worse.”

The Clacton MP added: “Why do Keir Starmer and David Lammy want this man in our country?”

In one post on X, Mr Abd El-Fattah said he considered it “heroic” to kill “any colonialists and specially Zionists”, adding: “We need to kill more of them.”

He also said: “Dear Zionists, please don’t ever talk to me, I’m a violent person who advocated the killing of all Zionists including civilians, so f*** off”.

He declared that “police are not human”, adding: “They don’t have rights, we should just kill them all.”

He also wrote in a separate post: “I’m telling you that I hate white people.”

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick demanded that Sir Keir clarify whether he knew about Mr Abd El-Fattah’s statements before he posted that he was “delighted” at his release.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, he said: “Do you condemn them without qualification, including the endorsement of killing Israelis and ‘zionists’ and the calls to kill police and burn Downing Street?”

Mr Abd El-Fattah, a British-Egyptian dual national, was detained in Egypt in September 2019, and in December 2021 was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of spreading false news.

His imprisonment was branded a breach of international law by UN investigators, and Mr Abd El-Fattah was released after he was pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi.

Sir Keir wrote on X on Friday: “I’m delighted that Alaa Abd El-Fattah is back in the UK and has been reunited with his loved ones, who must be feeling profound relief.

“I want to pay tribute to Alaa’s family, and to all those that have worked and campaigned for this moment.

“Alaa’s case has been a top priority for my government since we came to office. I’m grateful to President Sisi for his decision to grant the pardon.”

The previous Tory government had also lobbied for the release of Mr Abd El-Fattah, who was a leading voice in Egypt’s 2011 Arab Spring uprising and went on hunger strikes behind bars.

A Foreign Office spokesperson said: “Mr El-Fattah is a British citizen. It has been a long-standing priority under successive governments to work for his release from detention, and to see him reunited with his family in the UK.”