UK PM Starmer faces backlash for welcoming activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, linked to controversial social media posts, amid antisemitism concerns.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has come under fire for publicly welcoming Alaa Abd El-Fattah, a British-Egyptian activist, back to the UK after his release from an Egyptian prison following a presidential pardon. While Starmer and senior ministers hailed his return as a human rights victory, the Jewish Leadership Council and Conservative MP Robert Jenrick slammed the endorsement, citing unverified past social media posts that appear to incite violence against Jews, Zionists, and police. Jenrick questioned whether Starmer was aware of the statements and demanded clarification, warning that the gesture risked normalizing extremist rhetoric. The controversy comes in the wake of recent antisemitic attacks in Manchester and Bondi Beach, sparking debate over how to balance support for political prisoners with the need to condemn hate speech.