Boris Johnson slams MB for manipulating freedoms in UK

CAIRO – 8 December 2017: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson slammed the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates for manipulating freedoms of speech and association in the United Kingdom while they, “Turn a blind eye to terrorism.”

During his Thursday speech at the Foreign Office in London, Johnson called on the western governments to pay more attention to the Brotherhood’s activities in their countries, and called for renewing western foreign policies to tackle Islamic extremism in the Middle East.

“We must be clear-eyed about this organization {Muslim Brotherhood}. It manifests itself in different ways in different places,” Johnson said.

He also criticized the Brotherhood for attacking Pope Francis during his last visit to Cairo in April, when they described him “the Pope of terrorism” and accused the Egyptian security forces that were tasked with guarding him of being “Christian militias.”

He stressed, “No excuse for the kind of poisonous rhetoric we are seeing from the Muslim Brotherhood. They are exculpating the true culprits and encouraging terrorism by making wild claims about the Egyptian government.”

The Brotherhood in Egypt was designated as a terrorist organization in 2013 after accusations that they were responsible for a suicide bomb attack on a police station that killed 16 people.

The Egyptian government has demanded the UK to ban the organization for its support of terrorism, however the British government decided that the Brotherhood did not meet the threshold for a proscribed group. Johnson criticized the group’s recent conduct in the Middle East and Britain, accusing it of exploiting its presence in the country to achieve its political agenda.

“It is plainly wrong that Islamists exploit freedoms here in the UK, it is all too clear that some affiliates of the Muslim Brotherhood are willing to turn a blind eye to terrorism,” Johnson said.

Johnson also attacked the U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital after the decision sparked waves of protest.

He added it was, “not helpful”, echoing Theresa May who vowed to confront Trump over his controversial announcement.

Johnson stressed that the UK still believes that the status of Jerusalem must be resolved as part of a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians.