A Betrayal of Britain's Jews
Keir Starmer's Shocking Blunder: Welcoming a Hateful Activist (While Ignoring Antisemitic Venom)
In a move that reeks of political opportunism and staggering incompetence, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has ignited a firestorm by publicly fawning over the return of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a man whose resurfaced social media rants drip with antisemitic bile and calls for violence.
UK's Keir Starmer recently posted a gushing tweet, hailing newly pardoned Abd el-Fattah's release as a "top priority" for his government and even thanking Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, but this now stands as a monument to his glaring hypocrisy, especially from a leader who once vowed to purge antisemitism from Labour's ranks.
Abd el-Fattah, imprisoned in Egypt for over a decade on charges like spreading false news and unauthorized protests, was pardoned and arrived back in the UK amid fanfare from human rights circles. But the celebration soured when old posts from 2010-2012 clawed their way back into the spotlight: gems like "Yes, I consider killing any colonialists and specially zionists heroic, we need to kill more of them," and "There is a critical number of Israelis that we need to kill."
Toss in alleged Holocaust denial, urges to slaughter police, and slurs branding Brits as "dogs and monkeys" or spewing anti-white hatred, and you've got a recipe for outrage. Abd el-Fattah claims some were yanked out of context from Gaza conflict chats, but with no apology forthcoming and posts conveniently deleted, it's hardly a convincing defense.
Starmer's response? A pathetic afterthought from his office claiming he was "unaware" of the toxic history, followed by a limp government statement condemning the tweets as "abhorrent" without endorsing them. Unaware? This from a man who built his premiership on promises to crush antisemitism, only to roll out the red carpet for someone whose words could incite the very hatred surging across UK streets.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper piled on with their own supportive nods, turning what should have been a cautious diplomatic win into a full-blown embarrassment.
Jewish leaders aren't buying the excuses and why should they? The Jewish Leadership Council slammed the government's "effusive welcome" as appalling, a direct slap in the face to Starmer's anti-hate pledges amid skyrocketing antisemitic incidents. The Board of Deputies of British Jews warned of the rhetoric's potential to fuel violence, while Community Security Trust's Dave Rich questioned the celebratory tone after poring over the posts.
Even Tories like Robert Jenrick fired off a scathing letter demanding Starmer retract his endorsement, and Alicia Kearns urged Abd el-Fattah to disavow the filth. Meanwhile, supporters like actress Olivia Colman, who once championed his writings, now squirm in silence, as human rights advocates weakly insist his release from "arbitrary detention" trumps the ugliness. But for Starmer, this fiasco exposes a leader more interested in virtue-signaling diplomacy than safeguarding his citizens. No citizenship revocation, no statement withdrawal, just hollow words that fall flat.
As tensions simmer, Starmer's bungled handling risks alienating allies and emboldening bigots. Britain deserves better than this tone-deaf debacle.