UK Outraged by Old Tweets, Not Actual Human Rights Abusers
Al-Monitor reports that Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah, recently freed after years of imprisonment in Egypt, is now apologizing for social media posts from 2010. These 'violent' posts, dating back to when he was a considerably younger man navigating the tumult of the Tahrir Square uprisings, have apparently just resurfaced following his return to the UK. Opposition lawmakers are now clamoring
for his citizenship to be revoked. (Imagine the strategic timing). It’s truly a masterclass in distraction. The UK government dedicates significant diplomatic capital to free an activist from an authoritarian regime, only to then facilitate a moral panic over decade-old tweets about 'Zionists' and 'police.' Not a peep about the actual violence and human rights abuses that led to Fattah’s
imprisonment, or the systemic issues that cause such 'radical' sentiments in the first place. One might wonder if the real offense isn't his words, but his inconvenient existence. The British political class, ever vigilant against perceived slights rather than actual suffering, once again demonstrates where their priorities truly lie.