The Conservative Party has urged the deportation of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abdel Fattah and the revocation of his UK citizenship following the emergence of social media posts in which he allegedly called for the killing of Zionists.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has faced criticism for expressing his “delight” at Abdel Fattah’s arrival in the UK after his release from prison in Egypt. Sources indicate that Starmer was unaware of the controversial messages prior to this week.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick stated that Abdel Fattah should “be made to live in Egypt or frankly anywhere else in the world”.
Speaking to the BBC, Jenrick questioned the initial decision to grant Abdel Fattah citizenship, which occurred in 2021 while the Conservatives were in power.
The Foreign Office affirmed that working towards Abdel Fattah’s release and reunification with his family in the UK had been “a long-standing priority under successive governments,” but condemned his “abhorrent” social media activity.
Abdel Fattah arrived in the UK this week, having been convicted in Egypt in 2021 for “spreading fake news” related to a Facebook post about alleged torture. His family has been contacted for comment.
He obtained UK citizenship in December 2021 through his London-born mother.
Jenrick argued that it was “indefensible” for Abdel Fattah to receive citizenship given his social media posts demonstrating “extremist views that are completely incompatible with British values”.
Conservative governments, including those in which Jenrick served, had also advocated for Abdel Fattah’s release. The shadow justice secretary described the situation as a “major failure of the British state.”
Jenrick elaborated: “Successive governments and civil servants at the Foreign Office and the Home Office have advised ministers that this is a consular case to be supported, when in fact a cursory examination of… social media shows that he is a man with not just extremist views – but absolutely abhorrent views who hates our country and should not be receiving the support and generosity of people here in the UK.”
He urged the government to “rectify this situation by being clear that they distance themselves and our country wholeheartedly from his views and begin proceedings to revoke his citizenship and have him removed from the UK”.
Earlier, speaking on GB News, Jenrick criticized senior ministers for “rejoicing at the fact this man was coming here, bragging that they’d achieved some kind of diplomatic coup”.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews expressed “profound concern” over the matter.
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.
“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.”
Abdel Fattah is also accused of stating that the police do not have rights and “we should kill them all”.
Abdel Fattah’s release in September was the result of a sustained campaign by his family, supported by celebrities such as Dame Judi Dench and Olivia Colman, and lobbying by the British government.
He had spent over a decade in prison, including a five-year sentence in December 2021 following a trial deemed grossly unfair by human rights groups.
Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith signed a cross-party letter in December of last year urging the government to secure his release in Egypt.
Writing on X on Sunday, Sir Iain said: “I do, however regret signing the letter calling for the release of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, given his views, that have since come to light, are utterly abhorrent.
“Had I known of these I would not have signed the letter. I urge the police to investigate the nature of these extremist comments.”
A Labour source accused Jenrick of attempting to rewrite history for his own political gain.
A writer, intellectual, and software developer, Abdel Fattah rose to prominence during the 2011 uprising that led to the resignation of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
In 2014, Abdel Fattah was nominated for the Sakharov Prize, a European human rights award, but the nomination was withdrawn due to tweets about Israel he posted in 2012.
He maintained that his comments were part of a “private conversation” during an Israeli offensive in Gaza and had been misinterpreted.
After being removed from a travel ban list imposed by Egyptian authorities, which kept him in the country for three months after his release from jail, Abdel Fattah has now reunited with his 14-year-old son, who resides in Brighton.
Speaking to the BBC from Cairo in October after his release, he said: “I’m learning how to get back into life.”
He added: “I’m doing much better than I would have expected. Much better than most people would have expected.”
Trade unionist Paul Nowak says he wants to see the “closest possible” economic relationship with the EU.
For Alaa Abdel Fattah and his family this is a new beginning after years of separation and suffering.
An official involved with the World Cup Pride Match says there has been no contact from Fifa about their plans, despite the Egyptian FA’s complaint.
Find out who has been called up for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco from 21 December to 18 January.
The chair of the Social Mobility Commission has called on the prime minister to set out a clearer strategy.