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Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To think that Kier Starmer shouldn't be welcoming extremists into Britain?

991 replies

Twiglets1 · 27/12/2025 20:14

Reported in The Telegraph today that Sir Keir Starmer has welcomed an alleged Islamist extremist, who labelled British people “dogs and monkeys” and called for Zionists to be killed, into the UK.

The Prime Minister said he was “delighted” that Alaa Abd el-Fattah had arrived from Egypt on Friday evening after a travel ban imposed by Cairo was lifted following lobbying by ministers.

Mr Abd el-Fattah, an activist with dual British-Egyptian citizenship, previously said that it was heroic to kill Zionists “including civilians”. He urged Londoners to burn Downing Street, told his supporters to kill police and said he hated white people.

Ministers are facing calls to revoke his British citizenship, which he was granted in 2021 while imprisoned in Egypt, where campaigners described him as a “prisoner of conscience”.

Sir Keir’s tweet yesterday said how “delighted” he was that Alaa Abd El-Fattah is back in this country. Does that seem a reasonable stance to take for someone who has claimed at the same time to be committed to "eradicating antisemitism in the UK"?

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EmeraldRoulette · 28/12/2025 22:34

@OneDearWasp I can't see how that article presents any new information or perspective

And what do you mean by "not as clear cut" please? I'm sure there are a lot of things that we're not being told so I don't think it's clear cut in the first place.

But I have a feeling you mean something different than I do.

@SpaceRaccoon yes I saw that but he doesn't have a leg to stand on either!

MeouwKing · 28/12/2025 22:35

I have found this so confusing. The stuff he tweeted about gays. I can't vote Labour again, this is my line in the sand.

ZoeCM · 28/12/2025 22:39

user1471453601 · 27/12/2025 20:22

People like Yaxley Lennon, who seems to spend most of his time abroad, on his supporters dime?

Or just people you don't approve of?

But Starmer has never said he's delighted Stephen Yaxley-Lennon is in the UK, has he? If he did, he would deservedly be criticised for it.

OneDearWasp · 28/12/2025 22:59

EmeraldRoulette · 28/12/2025 22:34

@OneDearWasp I can't see how that article presents any new information or perspective

And what do you mean by "not as clear cut" please? I'm sure there are a lot of things that we're not being told so I don't think it's clear cut in the first place.

But I have a feeling you mean something different than I do.

@SpaceRaccoon yes I saw that but he doesn't have a leg to stand on either!

Edited

I've only come to this thread recently so haven't seen all the points people have made. The accusation was around Starmer welcoming people into the UK when it seems this man's release was campaigned for for a number of years by this and previous government. Including him being given UK citizenship while Jenrick was in the cabinet.

Several things can be true at once. The man's views are reprehensible and his release certainly shouldn't have been welcomed; the situation is being used cynically by some who previously were involved in a government that gave him UK citizenship as a stick to beat Starmer with; there's a high degree of worrying incompetence behind the scenes if the tweets weren't known about when Starmer announced the man's arrival. (It seems inconceivable that Starmer would have been so welcoming had he known about the anti-semtic tweets).

treaconometrie · 28/12/2025 23:07

Twiglets1 · 28/12/2025 17:30

A timeline:

In July 2010 he wrote: “I consider killing any colonialists and specially Zionists heroic, we need to kill more of them.”
In September 2010: “…there was no genocide against jews by the nazis after all many jews are left:”
In November 2010: “dear zionists please don’t ever talk to me, I’m a violent person who advocated the killing of all Zionists including civilians, so fuck of.”
In December 2010: “I’m proud of being racist against whites”.
In April 2011: “I hate white people.”
In August 2011: “now my real criticism of these post police murder riots is the wrong focus, go burn the city or downing street or hunt police u fools.”
In May 2012: “If we can’t kill the officers anyway ... fine. We’ll find a terrorist cell to kill their children and torture their mothers. Peaceful is stupid.”

And he was granted British citizenship in 2022 by Priti Patel, while he was in prison in Egypt. By this time, his views were well documented.

ffs

ZoeCM · 28/12/2025 23:16

Heyhelga · 28/12/2025 19:42

Just wait until Starmer welcomes back Shamima Begum

At this point, you have to wonder if Starmer would welcome Osama bin Laden to the UK if he were still alive

ZoeCM · 28/12/2025 23:23

MPs, including Tory and Lib Dems, have expressed support for him in the past and raised his case in the House. Did they know of the tweets at the time?

Even if they didn't know, they really should have done a bit of research before supporting his arrival in the UK.

YourEagerFox · 28/12/2025 23:25

I’m assuming he didn’t know about the vile tweets, but that is concerning alone. British people have been jailed for racist/offensive social media posts. Will the individual in question be dealt with in a similar way? I’m guessing not. The posts are incredibly disturbing and provide a scary insight into a dangerous mind. We need politicians who aren’t afraid of Muslims/Islam.

TooBigForMyBoots · 28/12/2025 23:35

Sometimes it's best to say nothing.

ChristieMcVie · 28/12/2025 23:42

His mother is a professor of mathematics and his aunt a celebrated novelist. He’s from a family of “human rights” activists. He clearly has political connections in high places and liberal, intellectual circles. That’s probably why he received citizenship in the first place, and hasn’t been treated by successive governments like the violent, racist, anti semitic, homophobic, jihadi thug that he aspires to be.

Twiglets1 · 29/12/2025 05:30

OneDearWasp · 28/12/2025 22:59

I've only come to this thread recently so haven't seen all the points people have made. The accusation was around Starmer welcoming people into the UK when it seems this man's release was campaigned for for a number of years by this and previous government. Including him being given UK citizenship while Jenrick was in the cabinet.

Several things can be true at once. The man's views are reprehensible and his release certainly shouldn't have been welcomed; the situation is being used cynically by some who previously were involved in a government that gave him UK citizenship as a stick to beat Starmer with; there's a high degree of worrying incompetence behind the scenes if the tweets weren't known about when Starmer announced the man's arrival. (It seems inconceivable that Starmer would have been so welcoming had he known about the anti-semtic tweets).

Just read the whole thread before disagreeing with it.

The discussion has been centred around this one man and the fair point has been raised & agreed that the Conservative government was also culpable in campaigning for him to be released & come to the UK. The debate is around why have they all made this one man such a priority when he has expressed views that are racist against Jews & “white people” plus homophobic. And if the government ministers didn’t know his background, why not?

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DeathNote11 · 29/12/2025 05:41

I think Starmer has got it badly wrong. But it's funny as hell that Mr I hate white people tough guy has been internationally outed as accepting charity from white people. The world is laughing at him & seeing him as the useless freeloader that he is.

Alexandra2001 · 29/12/2025 07:16

Legolava · 28/12/2025 21:17

I think it’s a simple as a huge, huge error. Problem is with that, it shows gaping holes in our national security, those of our security services and those who advise politicians. This is far, far too serious to ignore. It will be though as it will highlight failures across all parties. However the buck does now stop with the current government in power.

True in terms of the current Starmer tweet but on his citizenship, that particular buck stops with the Tories who gave him that in the first place....

That goes way beyond a few celebs and MPs being taken in, though of course, in all of this, it should be remembered that the crack down on pro democracy protestors in Egypt was and is very cruel.

Alexandra2001 · 29/12/2025 07:26

SpaceRaccoon · 28/12/2025 22:32

Robert Jenrick pulling no punches:

https://x.com/RobertJenrick/status/2005327443058463110

Is this the same Robert Jenrick that sat in Tory Governments that campaigned for his release, including the then PM Rishi Sunak, cumulating in his Govt giving this man Citizenship?

Jenrick sat in Parliament when Sunak gave a statement to the House on this issue, why didn't he at the very least, check into his SM past??

After all he now says its a very simple thing to have done....

From the tweet:
The Prime Minister has claimed he did not know about el-Fattah’s views, but he had hardly concealed them. They were so well known in fact that he had a notable European peace prize rescinded in 2015 because of his anti-Semitic diatribes

Maybe its a different Robert Jenrick?

Anyone who is taken in by Jenricks faux concern is even more of a fool than Starmer.

EasternStandard · 29/12/2025 07:29

YourEagerFox · 28/12/2025 23:25

I’m assuming he didn’t know about the vile tweets, but that is concerning alone. British people have been jailed for racist/offensive social media posts. Will the individual in question be dealt with in a similar way? I’m guessing not. The posts are incredibly disturbing and provide a scary insight into a dangerous mind. We need politicians who aren’t afraid of Muslims/Islam.

Yes Starmer isn’t helped by jailing others over a tweet but being delighted by this man arriving here.

The juxtaposition of that prioritisation and delight and the tweets is easy to get across on IG for example and people will rightly think he’s got it wrong.

BIossomtoes · 29/12/2025 07:36

EasternStandard · 29/12/2025 07:29

Yes Starmer isn’t helped by jailing others over a tweet but being delighted by this man arriving here.

The juxtaposition of that prioritisation and delight and the tweets is easy to get across on IG for example and people will rightly think he’s got it wrong.

Starmer hasn’t jailed anyone.

Twiglets1 · 29/12/2025 07:38

Starmer need to make a statement about it. Distance himself from the whole sorry mess and preferably strip this man of his British citizenship - embarrassing as that will be after publicising his initial pleasure in his arrival.

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EasternStandard · 29/12/2025 07:41

Twiglets1 · 29/12/2025 07:38

Starmer need to make a statement about it. Distance himself from the whole sorry mess and preferably strip this man of his British citizenship - embarrassing as that will be after publicising his initial pleasure in his arrival.

Bit late now. His statement on delight and prioritisation is there as anyone else’s is preserved on SM.

It’ll circulate and be put up against the man’s incitement tweets.

Whether the guy is deported I guess we’ll see.

Alexandra2001 · 29/12/2025 07:44

BIossomtoes · 29/12/2025 07:36

Starmer hasn’t jailed anyone.

Yes some posters don't give a stuff about this issue.

Its just about a stick to beat Starmer with, even coming out with outright lies about our justice system, conveniently forgetting their parties "guilt" in giving him citizenship, which if they had not done so... he wouldn't be here right now...

EasternStandard · 29/12/2025 07:48

Poor Starmer being criticised. It’s not great for him no matter how it’s spun.

Outside a few on mn people will quickly see whether tweets count for Starmer or not. Sometimes it’s jail other times it’s delight. Good luck with that.

Alexandra2001 · 29/12/2025 07:59

A less partisan response:

The decision to grant citizenship would have been made by the Home Office, which at that point was led by Priti Patel, advised by the Foreign Office, where Liz Truss was foreign secretary and James Cleverly was the minister for the region
Successive Tory prime ministers have also called for Abd el-Fattah, to be released and reunited with his family, including Rishi Sunak who said it was “a priority” for his government in November 2022
When Labour came to power, Starmer continued lobbying the Egyptian president over Abd el-Fattah, ongoing imprisonment, making three calls to his Egyptian counterpart, while the UK national security adviser, Jonathan Powell, also personally urged the Egyptians to end the detention

As much as a very few want to make this a Labour only issue, its not...

EasternStandard · 29/12/2025 08:03

Look over there. Not sure it’ll work for Starmer.

A few might want it to but looking at commentary elsewhere I doubt it.

Twiglets1 · 29/12/2025 08:06

EasternStandard · 29/12/2025 07:41

Bit late now. His statement on delight and prioritisation is there as anyone else’s is preserved on SM.

It’ll circulate and be put up against the man’s incitement tweets.

Whether the guy is deported I guess we’ll see.

It is a bit late now I agree.

But Starmer is going to be asked about this repeatedly & won’t have the option of shrugging and saying it’s a bit late now. So I imagine his comms team are working on a full statement.

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