US EditionBritish-Egyptian Activist Apologizes for Tweets, Opponents Push for Deportation
UK government reviews vetting after resurfaced extremist tweets by Egyptian-British activist prompt criticism and calls for deportation amid concerns over due diligence.
- On Monday, Egyptian-British activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah apologised for historic tweets, saying he understands 'how shocking and hurtful' they are and that some were misunderstood.
- Critics circulated archived social media posts soon after Alaa Abd El-Fattah arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport, including a 2012 tweet calling for the murder of Israelis, prompting withdrawal of a human-rights award nomination.
- Opposition MPs including Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick urged the Home Secretary to consider revoking Abd El-Fattah’s citizenship and criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s endorsement.
- The Foreign Office noted case law limits citizenship revocation to fraud or terrorism, and currently, there are no plans to strip Mr Abd El-Fattah's British citizenship.
- His UK citizenship was granted in December 2021, reportedly through his mother Laila Soueif, who staged a 10-month hunger strike; Abd El-Fattah was pardoned by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and returned after a travel ban was lifted.
152 Articles
152 Articles
UK government squirms after repatriating anti-Semitic activist
The British government has become embroiled in a repatriation scandal of its own making, after championing the cause of an Egyptian activist for years, described as a “top priority,” only for his troubling social media history to emerge hours after his release was finally secured. On Friday, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was “delighted” Alaa Abd el Fattah was back in the United Kingdom after spending the better part of a decade in …
Due diligence is what counts, not trust in the process
On Boxing Day, Sir Keir Starmer said he was “delighted” that British-Egyptian dissident Alaa Abd el-Fattah had returned to the UK after being behind Egyptian bars for almost a decade, adding that this was a “top priority” for his government. Yesterday he ended up recognising that it has “added to the distress” of the UK’s Jewish community. That was only after his previous comments on social media endorsing the “heroic” killing of Zionists, calli…
2010 publications by Egyptian activist, prominent figure of the Arab Spring received in the United Kingdom by Starmer, are motivating calls for their deportation.
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