I have such mixed emotions about this case. On the one hand I do have some sympathy with someone who was groomed as a minor into extremist ideology to do what she did, and there is no evidence that she was directly or personally involved in any particularly heinous acts. Can’t help but feel a little bit sorry for someone who has lost 3 children at such a young age too. On the other hand she went of her own free will and stayed right to the bitter end at Baghuz when she was no longer a minor, and hasn’t come across as at all remorseful in interviews. And ISIS were to me pure evil and particularly barbaric in their actions, affording nobody the level of consideration she is asking for, and she was at the end of the day complicit in what they did when no longer a minor. I also feel frustrated that she got legal aid with her case when I personally could not get legal aid to take my abusive ex to court over child custody to protect my child, when I did not ask to be in such a situation. Having said all that, I do understand why she got legal aid in terms of the principle of law and I do completely disagree with her being stripped of citizenship. If for no other reason than pragmatically as I think that sort of thing just creates a group of ostracised ex-ISIS members together in Syria or Iraq with an axe to grind against the UK which doesn’t bode well for the future. She is British. It’s not fair to land Syria with the problems of our own creation (or attempt to land it on Bangladesh either). I also think it is appalling that her completely innocent young child at least was not brought back to the UK, and was left to die in a camp in Syria. I understand it wouldn’t go down well with the general public and that it would cost a lot etc. but I personally think they should have brought her straight back to the UK to be tried and sentenced and hopefully jailed for life here while trying to deradicise her. I do agree with a PP who said if white Louise Smith went to fight for a far right organisation this would not happen, especially if she had been a minor at the time of getting sucked into it.