7/4/1919 Allenby tries to conciliate Egypt, ordering the release of nationalist leaders

When Egyptian nationalists requested that they be allowed attend the Paris Conference, the British authorities responded by arresting and deporting them. This however has caused Egypt to explode, with the country now engulfed by strikes, demonstrations, riots and acts of sabotage against the British and their local proxies. The British have responded sternly, arresting and killing large numbers of Egyptian malcontents; by now as many as 800 Egyptians have been killed by British forces. However the crackdown has failed to pacify the country.

As part of their attempts to bring Egypt to heel the British have appointed General Allenby as Special High Commissioner. Allenby quickly realises that repression has failed and that a more conciliatory approach is needed. He orders Zaghloul and the other nationalist leaders released from detention in Malta, from where they are now free to travel on to Paris if they wish. In Egypt disturbances…