A British-Egyptian activist has apologised for resurfaced social media posts in which he called for violence against Zionists and police, prompting calls from opposition politicians for the UK government to revoke his citizenship.
The posts, dating back to 2010, emerged shortly after Alaa Abdel Fattah returned to Britain following years of diplomatic efforts by London to secure his release from detention in Egypt.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “delighted” Abdel Fattah had been reunited with his loved ones, while Conservatives and the Reform UK party demanded his deportation.
“Looking at the tweets now – the ones that were not completely twisted out of their meaning – I do understand how shocking and hurtful they are, and for that I unequivocally apologise,” Mr Abdel Fattah said in a statement.
“I must also stress that some tweets have been completely misunderstood, seemingly in bad faith,” he added.
Mr Abdel Fattah gained prominence as a leading voice during Egypt’s 2011 Arab Spring uprising.
He was initially detained in Egypt in September 2019, and in December 2021, he received a five-year prison sentence on charges of spreading false news.
Mr Abdel Fattah began a hunger strike while imprisoned this March and was subsequently released after being pardoned by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi in September.
‘Abhorrent’ posts condemned
The UK foreign ministry yesterday condemned Mr Abdel Fattah’s earlier posts, describing them as “abhorrent” in a statement. However, the ministry affirmed that securing his release had been “a long-standing priority under successive governments.”
A UK government official, speaking on condition of anonymity today, stated that the Foreign Office was “looking carefully” at the handling of the case, without providing further details.
Alaa Abdel Fattah was granted UK citizenship in December 2021, during the Conservative government’s tenure, through his British-born mother, who herself undertook a hunger strike during her son’s imprisonment.
“If the Prime Minister really was unaware that El Fattah was an extremist, he should immediately retract his comments expressing ‘delight’ at his arrival and begin proceedings to revoke his citizenship and deport him,” posted Robert Jenrick, the Conservatives’ justice spokesman, on X.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform, sent a letter to interior minister Shabana Mahmood, urging her to “order” the deportation of Abdel Fattah.
“It should go without saying that anyone who possesses racist and anti-British views such as those of Mr el-Fattah should not be allowed into the UK,” Farage wrote.
Mr Starmer’s official spokesman informed reporters that the prime minister “wasn’t aware” of Abdel Fattah’s posts when he welcomed his arrival in Britain.
The spokesman added that citizenship revocation is reserved for Britons who obtained it “by fraud, or against the most dangerous individuals, such as terrorists, extremists and serious organised criminals”.
“There is a high bar to meet these thresholds,” the spokesman said.
Mr Abdel Fattah arrived in the UK last Friday after Egypt’s attorney general lifted an apparent travel ban.
The Freedom for Alaa campaign announced that the activist had been reunited with his 14-year-old son, who resides in Brighton.
Mr Abdel Fattah was nominated for the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize in 2014, but the nominating group withdrew the nomination after discovering a 2012 tweet in which he called for the murder of Israelis.
