British-Egyptian dissident apologises for tweets as Tories push for UK deportation

Following a review of the contentious posts, Mr. Abd El Fattah released a statement expressing profound regret. "I do understand how shocking and hurtful they are, and for that I unequivocally apologise," he stated. He conveyed his distress at the timing of the controversy, remarking, "I am shaken that, just as I am being reunited with my family for the first time in 12 years, several historic tweets of mine have been republished and used to question and attack my integrity and values, escalating to calls for the revocation of my citizenship." While acknowledging the "shocking and hurtful" nature of some comments, Mr. Abd El Fattah also sought to provide context, particularly regarding allegations of antisemitism. He asserted that he takes such allegations "very seriously" but maintained that some of the posts had been "completely twisted out of their meaning," and that others were part of "private conversation" taken out of context during a period of heightened conflict.

The political fallout was immediate and far-reaching. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer faced criticism for initially expressing his delight at Mr. Abd El Fattah’s arrival in the UK on Friday, just three months after his release from an Egyptian prison. It has since been understood that Starmer was unaware of the historical social media messages at the time of his celebratory remarks. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman, while welcoming the return of a British citizen "unfairly detained abroad," unequivocally condemned the content of the historic tweets, labelling them "abhorrent." The spokesman also confirmed that the Foreign Office had initiated an internal review into how the complex case, involving diplomatic efforts spanning successive governments, had been handled.

Leading the charge for stronger action, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage both publicly called on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to consider revoking Mr. Abd El Fattah’s British citizenship to facilitate his swift removal from the country. In a strongly worded letter to Mahmood, Farage asserted, "It should go without saying that anyone who possesses racist and anti-British views such as those of [Mr. Abd El Fattah] should not be allowed into the UK." He further criticised what he described as an "astonishing" lack of "basic due diligence" by MPs from across the political spectrum who had campaigned for Abd El Fattah’s release, and condemned Starmer’s initial welcome as an "extraordinary error of judgement."

A government source clarified that Mr. Abd El Fattah entered the country as a British citizen, and that there were no immediate legal avenues available to block his entry, even if officials had been aware of his past social media posts. This legal reality is rooted in a significant 2016 Supreme Court case, which found that nationality law discriminated against children from mixed unmarried backgrounds, deeming it incompatible with human rights safeguards. Consequently, in 2019, the then-Conservative government, with cross-party support, used a 15-minute debate in Parliament to abolish a requirement for children of one British parent to demonstrate "good character" before being granted nationality. This legislative change paved the way for individuals like Mr. Abd El Fattah to be subsequently registered as British citizens, given his mother’s birth in London. Downing Street sources indicated that revoking citizenship requires meeting a high legal bar, typically involving obtaining citizenship by fraud or posing a significant national security threat – criteria unlikely to be met in this specific case, and any such decision would inevitably face substantial legal challenge.

The Foreign Office reiterated that securing Abd El Fattah’s release had been "a long-standing priority under successive governments." The 44-year-old activist was convicted in 2021 by an Egyptian court of "spreading fake news" for sharing a Facebook post alleging torture in the country, following a trial that human rights organisations widely denounced as grossly unfair. His British citizenship was granted in December 2021 through his London-born mother, during a period when the Conservatives were in power and Dame Priti Patel served as Home Secretary. Chris Philp, who was an immigration minister under Patel but left the role in September 2021 before the citizenship was granted, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he had been unaware of these details at the time. Now, however, he expressed a clear conviction that "this man should have his citizenship revoked." Philp asserted, "There is no excuse for what he wrote," adding, "People who express that kind of hatred, that kind of anti-white racism, that kind of extremism who seek to incite violence, have no place in the United Kingdom."

Among the most incendiary resurfaced tweets, one from 2012 showed Abd El Fattah appearing to state: "I am a racist, I don’t like white people." In another, he reportedly wrote that he considered "killing any colonialists and specially Zionists heroic, we need to kill more of them." He is also accused of declaring that police officers "do not have rights" and that "we should kill them all." Philp condemned this language unequivocally on Monday, stating, "There is no excuse for that kind of language."

Conversely, Dame Emily Thornberry, who chairs the Commons foreign affairs committee, appeared on the same programme and criticised Philp for "throwing ideas around that were just not based in law." She firmly stated, "The bottom and top of it is that he [Abd El Fattah] is a British citizen. He was entitled to British citizenship, he claimed it so he is a British citizen. The British government has been doing their utmost to get him back into the country and out of jail." Thornberry’s remarks underscored the legal complexities and the UK’s responsibilities under international law to avoid rendering individuals stateless, meaning British citizenship can generally only be revoked if a person is eligible for citizenship in another country.

Kemi Badenoch maintained that Abd El Fattah’s reported comments were "disgusting and abhorrent" and "anti-British," arguing that citizenship decisions "must take account of social media activity, public statements, and patterns of belief." She drew a distinction between advocating for a prisoner’s release from unfair detention and uncritically elevating them to a "moral hero." Badenoch conceded that Abd El Fattah "should have received a free and fair trial in Egypt," but concluded, "there ends my sympathy."

The Board of Deputies of British Jews expressed "profound concern" over the case. Adrian Cohen, the board’s senior vice-president, stated, "His previous extremist and violent rhetoric aimed at ‘Zionists’ and white people in general is threatening to British Jews and the wider public." He lamented, "The cross-party campaign for such a person, and the warm welcome issued by the government, demonstrate a broken system with an astonishing lack of due diligence by the authorities."

While acknowledging the "shocking and hurtful" nature of some of his comments, Abd El Fattah has continued to argue that some of his older messages have been misinterpreted. "For example, a tweet being shared to allege homophobia on my part was actually ridiculing homophobia," he clarified in his statement. He highlighted his personal sacrifice, adding, "I have paid a steep price for my public support for LGBTQ+ rights in Egypt and the world." UK-based human rights organisation Amnesty International, which championed his case, affirmed its commitment to upholding human rights and freedom of expression but stated it does not condone "any statements that perpetuate hate, discrimination and division."

Alaa Abd El Fattah, a renowned writer, intellectual, and software developer, rose to international prominence during the 2011 Egyptian uprising that led to the resignation of former president Hosni Mubarak. He has spent more than a decade of his life unjustly imprisoned in Egypt. His release in September, secured via a presidential pardon, followed an extensive and tireless campaign by his family and persistent lobbying efforts by the British government. In 2014, Abd El Fattah was nominated for the prestigious European human rights award, the Sakharov Prize, but this nomination was ultimately withdrawn due to the very same controversial tweets about Israel that he posted in 2012. He had previously defended those comments as part of a "private conversation" taken out of context during an Israeli offensive in Gaza. After being removed from a travel ban list imposed by Egyptian authorities, which had kept him in the country for three months following his release from jail, Abd El Fattah has now been joyfully reunited with his 14-year-old son, who resides in Brighton, marking a bittersweet homecoming shadowed by intense political scrutiny.