(JNS.org) The European United Left/Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL) coalition stripped Egyptian activist and blogger Alaa Abdel Fattah’s nomination for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, established by the European Parliament in 1988 in honor of former Soviet scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, after learning of his violent anti-Israel rants on Twitter. In a statement, GUE/NGL Group President Gabi Zimmer acknowledged Fattah’s 2012 tweet that called for the murder “of a critical number of Israelis,” and said the coalition was not aware of that tweet when it put forward Fattah’s candidacy for the prize.

Fattah, who was released from an Egyptian prison last month, was one of the leading activists of the 2011 protests that led to the downfall of former president Hosni Mubarak. He has been known for his anti-Israel incitement, previously tweeting, “Dear Zionists, please don’t ever talk to me, I’m a violent person who advocated the killing of all Zionists including civilians.”