UK's Starmer under fire over Egyptian activist's 'abhorrent' posts

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer was under pressure Sunday after "abhorrent" social media posts by a British-Egyptian activist came to light days after he welcomed his return to the country.

Alaa Abdel Fattah only got back to the UK a few days ago after years of diplomatic efforts by London to secure his release from detention in Egypt.

But after old social posts emerged of him calling for violence against Zionists and the police, the opposition conservatives called Sunday for him to be stripped of his citizenship and deported to Egypt.

Posting on X Friday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer had said he was "delighted" Abdel Fattah had been reunited with his loved ones in the UK, after Egypt lifted its travel ban.

Now Starmer is facing calls to retract those comments over the content of the activist's posts, which date back to 2010.

A Foreign Office statement said Sunday: "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.

"The Government condemns Mr El-Fattah's historic tweets and considers them to be abhorrent."

Shadow justice minister Robert Jenrick, of the opposition Conservatives, has called for El-Fattah to be stripped of his citizenship.

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"If the Prime Minister really was unaware that El Fattah was an extremist, he should immediately retract his comments expressing 'delight' at his arrival and begin proceedings to revoke his citizenship and deport him," Jenrick said on X.

Abdel Fattah was a leading voice in Egypt's 2011 Arab Spring uprising.

He 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 international campaigns were launched to get him freed.

His mother went on a long-running hunger strike as part of her efforts to secure his release. 

Abdel Fattah himself went on hunger strike this March whilst behind bars and was later released after being pardoned by Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi.

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