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Leader of the British opposition Labour party, Jeremy Corbyn, railed at Prime Minister David Cameron’s decision to host Egypt’s Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi in his London residence Wednesday.
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“David Cameron’s invitation to Britain today of the Egyptian President and coup leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi shows contempt for human and democratic rights and threatens, rather than protects, Britain’s national security,” the committed socialist said in statement.
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Jeremy Corbyn says Cameron's decision to host Egypt's President Sisi shows "contempt for human & democratic rights". pic.twitter.com/7SeuKZfAUl
— Jim Waterson (@jimwaterson)
November 4, 2015
El-Sisi, the former head of Egypt's armed forces who seized power in 2013 after helping to topple former President Mohammed Morsi and who became president in June 2014, is due in at the prime minister’s residence in Downing Street on Thursday.
Opposition to his arrival has been mounting over his poor human rights track record, including imprisonment of national and international journalists; police brutality against protesters; and extrajudicial killings.
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Critics of the invitation issued in July say that it signals a “business as usual” approach by the U.K. government to Cairo, affording international legitimacy to el-Sisi’s presidency, seen by opponents as a dictatorship grabbed through an illegal coup.
“Support for dialogue and negotiated conflict resolution in the Middle East is vital to us all. But to welcome and bolster with military support the coup leader who overthrew a democratically elected president in 2013 and has presided over the killing and jailing of many thousands since makes a mockery of government claims to be promoting peace and justice in the region,” Corbyn said.
“Support for dictatorial regimes in the Middle East has been a key factor fueling the spread of terrorism. Rather than rolling out the red carpet to President Sisi, the prime minister should suspend arms exports to Egypt until democratic and civil rights are restored,” he added.
Human rights organizations have already held demonstrations across the British capital against the visit, with hundreds more protesters exécted to rally outside the prime minister’s headquarters.
Sameh Shafi, coordinator of one of the protest groups, Stop Sisi, told The Guardian, “We’re going to make life very difficult for him. The worst thing would be for him to walk in scot-free. The aim is to show the opposite of what he’s showing – that he’s a legitimate president, everyone loves him. The aim of the protest is to show that he’s not that person, to show the exact opposite of the message (he wants to convey) and make him famous for his crimes.
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“I think the British politicians and everyone here need to understand that his only selling point – that he’s a military man who brings stability – is the exact opposite of what’s happening (in Egypt).”
U.S. behavior has been similar to that of the U.K., with President Barack Obama initially avoiding calling Morsi’s ousting a coup: the label would have obligated the U.S. to suspend aid.
El-Sisi also made steps towards asserting his international legitimacy with an address at the United Nations general assembly in September .
Britain is the largest foreign investor in Egypt, with more than US$20 billion locked into the North African country.
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