The “embarrassing failures” surrounding the welcome to the UK of an Egyptian activist accused of getting supported the killing of Zionists and law enforcement officials may have been prevented if the Foreign Office had delivered on a key dedication, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has been instructed. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer condemned social media feedback by Alaa Abd El Fattah as “absolutely abhorrent” – simply days after he mentioned he was “delighted” on the arrival of the previously imprisoned campaigner.
Dame Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Foreign Affairs choose committee, states in a public letter to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper that if the Government had delivered on a dedication to nominate an envoy for “complex detention cases” greater than a 12 months in the past, then “it is clear to me that such embarrassing failures of due diligence and information sharing would have been avoided”. Dame Emily mentioned it “would have been firmly within the envoy’s remit to carry out appropriate background and social media checks”. The Conservatives and Reform UK need Mr Abd El Fattah faraway from the UK following the invention of offensive messages, together with one from 2012 wherein he seems to say he considers “killing any colonialists and specially Zionists heroic”.
The Foreign Secretary has mentioned ministers have been by no means briefed on the messages and there was an “unacceptable failure”.
In her letter to Ms Cooper, Dame Emily states: “Your recognition of the distress caused to Jewish communities, particularly in the context of rising antisemitism in the UK and internationally, is necessary and welcome.”
Mr Abd El Fattah has apologised for his on-line messages, saying: “I do understand how shocking and hurtful they are, and for that I unequivocally apologise.”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/2152272/labours-egyptian-activist-fiasco-could