War veteran says Shamima Begum returning to the UK would be an 'insult'

25 November 2020, 16:46 | Updated: 25 November 2020, 18:51

War veteran says Shamima Begum returning to the UK would be an 'insult'

This is the moment a war veteran told LBC it would be an "insult" if Shamima Begum returns to the UK.

The caller made his point as the Supreme Court has heard that the "only effective means available" of ensuring Shamima Begum has a fair appeal against the removal of her British citizenship is to allow her to return to the UK.

Ms Begum's British citizenship was revoked on national security grounds shortly after she was found, nine months pregnant, in a Syrian refugee camp in February last year.

She was only 15 when she left the UK for Syria with two other east London schoolgirls to join the so-called Islamic State group (IS).

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Ms Begum, now 21 and currently in the al-Roj camp in northern Syria, is challenging the Home Office's decision to remove her British citizenship and wants to be allowed to return to the UK to pursue her appeal.

Darren from Doncaster told Nick: "As a veteran of the war and a veteran of the British Army, I find it an insult really the the British Government would allow any of these people to come back to the country.

"It's more of an insult to the veteran society and also serving personnel."

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Darren said allowing Shamima Begum to return to the UK would be an insult to "people that went over there and died for this country and still [are] suffering injuries from the war".

He added: "You turn your back on the country to go and join a group like this that you know full well is an enemy of our state.

"It should be a blanket rule. Fair enough, you make that decision [and] that's your decision. But you are not coming back. It's as simple as that."