UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – British-Egyptian human rights activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah expresses regret over old tweets, emphasizing his record on equality and LGBTQ rights in Egypt.
As reported by Patrick Wintour of The Guardian, human rights campaigner Alaa Abd el-Fattah has issued a full apology for tweets he posted more than 10 years ago, calling them offensive comments from heated online disputes.
What did Alaa Abd el-Fattah reveal about his past controversial tweets?
Alaa Abd el-Fattah said he was deeply affected by the backlash following shadow ministers raising his past tweets while questioning Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s support after his release after over ten years in prison in Egypt.
There have been demands to strip Abd el-Fattah of his British citizenship, granted by a Conservative government, and some within Labour have expressed regret over insufficient checks on his past.
A statement released in the early hours of Monday came after a day of intense consultations, saying,
“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.”
He said,
“They were mostly expressions of a young man’s anger and frustrations in a time of regional crises (the wars on Iraq, on Lebanon and Gaza), and the rise of police brutality against Egyptian youth. I particularly regret some that were written as part of online insult battles with the total disregard for how they read to other people. I should have known better.”
Abd el-Fattah admitted it was painful that the tweets had undermined his support in Britain and called on the public to consider his real-world efforts for minorities, LGBTQ rights, and freedom of expression in Egypt.
He argued that certain tweets were intentionally taken out of context.
The activist wrote,
“I must also stress that some tweets have been completely misunderstood, seemingly in bad faith. For example, a tweet being shared to allege homophobia on my part was actually ridiculing homophobia. I have paid a steep price for my public support for LGBTQ rights in Egypt and the world. Another tweet has been wrongly interpreted to suggest Holocaust denial – but in fact the exchange shows that I was clearly mocking Holocaust denial.”
Abd el-Fattah rejected claims of antisemitism, stating,
“I take accusations of antisemitism very seriously. I have always believed that sectarianism and racism are the most sinister and dangerous of forces, and I did my part and paid the price for standing up for the rights of religious minorities in Egypt. I faced a military tribunal and imprisonment for defending Christians in Egypt falsely accused of violence.”
In 2021, he received British citizenship under a law allowing mothers to pass UK citizenship to their children. His mother was born in London, and his grandmother lived in Britain.
In several tweets, he described the killing of Zionists as heroic and wrote that “more of them” should be killed. He also used derogatory language to describe British people as dogs and monkeys.
The activist wrote in an apology statement that,
“Looking back, I see the writings of a much younger person, deeply enmeshed in antagonistic online cultures, utilising flippant, shocking and sarcastic tones in the nascent, febrile world of social media. But this young man never intended to offend a wider public and was, in the real world, engaged in the non-violent pro-democracy movement and repeatedly incarcerated for calling for full equality, human rights and democracy for all.”
He continued,
“Today, this middle-aged father firmly believes all our fates are entwined and we can only achieve prosperous and safe lives for our children together. All the initiatives I’ve led reflect this.”
In his statement, Abd el-Fattah said,
“This weekend was supposed to be the first time I celebrated my son’s birthday with him since 2012, when he was one year old. I have been imprisoned in Egypt for almost his entire life for my consistent promotion of equality, justice and secular democracy.”
He added,
“That included publicly rejecting anti-Jewish speech in Egypt, often at risk to myself, defence of LGBTQ rights, defence of Egyptian Christians, and campaigning against police torture and brutality – all at great risk. And, indeed, my freedom was stripped from me for these defences of human rights. These values are core to my identity.”
Abd el-Fattah reportedly believed he had addressed concerns over his social media posts after his 2014 Sakharov Prize nomination was withdrawn, following backlash from the Wall Street Journal.
A chapter in his book of essays explained his reasons for writing about armed struggle against Israel. The book was distributed to MPs, including the prime minister and then-foreign secretary David Lammy, but the section did not fully address the most extreme and controversial tweets.
The activist maintained in the chapter that he had distinguished between targeting Israeli civilians and combatants while discussing an anti-colonial struggle.
How did UK opposition parties react to Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s controversial tweets?
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK’s Nigel Farage have called on Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to consider revoking Abd el-Fattah’s citizenship to allow his swift removal from the UK.
Ms Badenoch said the Egyptian activist’s comments were “disgusting and abhorrent” and anti-British, stressing that citizenship decisions must consider online activity, public statements, and belief patterns.
She added,
“It is one thing to work for someone’s release from prison if they’ve been treated unfairly as previous governments did. It is quite another to elevate them, publicly and uncritically, into a moral hero.”
Mr Farage said in a letter to the Home Secretary,
“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.”
The Reform UK leader criticized MPs from all major parties for failing to carry out “basic due diligence” on Abd el-Fattah while campaigning for his release.
He said Keir Starmer depicted an “extraordinary error of judgement” when he posted on X celebrating Abdel Fattah’s return.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who served as immigration minister, said he was unaware of the matter in 2021 but now believes that “this man should have his citizenship revoked.”
He added, “There is no excuse for what he wrote.”
Why was Alaa Abd el-Fattah imprisoned?
Alaa Abd el-Fattah’s five-year sentence (December 2021) was for “spreading false news,” linked to a social media post. A previous five-year jail sentence (2015) was for organizing and taking part in an unauthorized protest in 2013.
His 2019 re-arrest occurred during a government crackdown on anti-government protests, despite his reportedly not participating, and involved charges of “spreading false news undermining national security.”
How to apply for British dual citizenship?
For British citizenship, applicants must meet specific criteria, most commonly through naturalization. To get dual nationality, a person must be 18 or older, live in Britain for 5 years (3 if married to a British citizen), have a settled status for 1 year, pass the “Life in the UK” test, and know English.
The UK government website handles citizenship applications, costing £1,735, and dual nationality is possible if permitted by the applicant’s home country.
