{"id":256390,"date":"2025-12-29T15:55:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T15:55:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/256390\/"},"modified":"2025-12-29T15:55:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T15:55:07","slug":"uk-government-condemns-egyptian-activists-abhorrent-social-media-posts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/256390\/","title":{"rendered":"Uk government condemns Egyptian activist\u2019s \u2018abhorrent\u2019 social media posts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The UK government<\/strong> has condemned<\/strong> as \u201cabhorrent\u201d past social media<\/strong> posts by democracy activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah<\/strong> that have sparked a backlash since his return from detention in Egypt.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Conservatives have called for the Egyptian-British dissident to be stripped of his UK citizenship and deported.<\/p>\n

It comes as the UK prime minister faces criticism for celebrating Mr Abd El-Fattah\u2019s return to the UK on Boxing Day after posts emerged dating back to 2010 in which the activist appears to call for violence towards Zionists and the police.<\/p>\n

\n The Government condemns Mr El-Fattah\u2019s historic tweets and considers them to be abhorrent<\/p>\n

Foreign Office\n <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

They appear to be from Mr Abd El-Fattah\u2019s X account but could not be verified by the Press Association.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government condemns Mr El-Fattah\u2019s historic tweets and considers them to be abhorrent,\u201d the Foreign Office said on Sunday.<\/p>\n

The statement was added to one issued earlier that read: \u201cMr El-Fattah is a British citizen.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been a long-standing priority under successive governments to work for his release from detention, and to see him reunited with his family in the UK.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe social media history that has emerged from Alaa abd El-Fattah is of profound concern… 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.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/E8j4eCbbFR<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Board of Deputies of British Jews (@BoardofDeputies) December 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Jewish organisations have criticised the \u201ceffusive\u201d response from Sir Keir Starmer\u2019s government to the Egyptian-British dual national\u2019s return and said the years-long campaign to secure his release, which successive Conservative and Labour governments lobbied for, showed a \u201clack of due diligence\u201d.<\/p>\n

Mr Abd El-Fattah, a British-Egyptian dual national, was detained in Egypt in September 2019, and in December 2021 was sentenced to five years in prison on charges of spreading false news.<\/p>\n

His imprisonment was branded a breach of international law by UN investigators, and Mr Abd El-Fattah was released after being pardoned by Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi.<\/p>\n

The prime minister said on Friday that he was \u201cdelighted\u201d Mr Abd El-Fattah had been reunited with his loved ones in the UK, a sentiment echoed by foreign secretary Yvette Cooper and justice secretary David Lammy in similar posts.<\/p>\n

\n

We are appalled by the effusive welcome Alaa Abd El-Fattah has received from the UK government. The Prime Minister recently reiterated his determination to root out antisemitism from our country but has now shared his delight that someone who has advocated for killing Zionists\u2026 https:\/\/t.co\/C378mPGNTY<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jewish Leadership Council (@JLC_uk) December 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Sir Keir wrote on X: \u201cI\u2019m delighted that Alaa Abd El-Fattah is back in the UK and has been reunited with his loved ones, who must be feeling profound relief.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to pay tribute to\u00a0Alaa\u2019s\u00a0family, and to all those that have worked and campaigned for this moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlaa\u2019s case has been a top priority for my government since we came to office. I\u2019m grateful to President Sisi for his decision to grant the pardon.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sir Keir was not aware of the social media posts at the time, it is understood, and a No 10 source rejected the idea that welcoming Mr Abd El-Fattah\u2019s return was an endorsement of his political views.<\/p>\n

The Board of Deputies of British Jews said they had raised concerns with the Government and that there was an \u201curgent need\u201d to find out whether Mr Abd El-Fattah still held the views expressed online.<\/p>\n

They said: \u201cThe social media history that has emerged from Alaa abd El-Fattah is of profound concern.<\/p>\n

\n

I\u2019m delighted that Alaa Abd El-Fattah is back in the UK and has been reunited with his loved ones, who must be feeling profound relief.<\/p>\n

I want to pay tribute to Alaa\u2019s family, and to all those that have worked and campaigned for this moment.<\/p>\n

Alaa’s case has been a top priority\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) December 26, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cHis previous extremist and violent rhetoric aimed at \u2018Zionists\u2019 and white people in general is threatening to British Jews and the wider public.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Jewish Leadership Council voiced concerns about the safety of Jewish communities in the wake of recent antisemitic attacks in Manchester and at Australia\u2019s Bondi Beach.<\/p>\n

The council said: \u201cWe are appalled by the effusive welcome Alaa Abd El-Fattah has received from the UK Government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Prime Minister recently reiterated his determination to root out antisemitism from our country but has now shared his delight that someone who has advocated for killing Zionists has arrived in the UK.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know from Heaton Park, Manchester, and Bondi Beach that there are those who hear such words as a call to action.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Government has celebrated Mr Abd El-Fattah\u2019s arrival as a victory, British Jews will see it as yet another reminder of the danger we face.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

I have campaigned for some time for the release of two British citizens, Jimmy Lai and Ryan Cornelius, who have been detained for years on trumped-up charges and denied a fair hearing. I have worked alongside others and called on the UK Government to demand their release.<\/p>\n

I do,\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2014 Iain Duncan Smith MP Chingford & Woodford Green (@MPIainDS) December 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith, who had lobbied for Mr Abd El-Fattah\u2019s release, urged the police to investigate his comments.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do\u2026 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,\u201d he posted on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cHad I known of these, I would not have signed the letter. I urge the police to investigate the nature of these extremist comments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mr Abd El-Fattah was a leading voice in Egypt\u2019s 2011 Arab Spring uprising and went on hunger strikes behind bars.<\/p>\n

In 2014, the blogger\u2019s posts on Twitter cost him a nomination for the European Parliament\u2019s Sakharov Prize.<\/p>\n

The group backing him withdrew the nomination for the human rights award, saying they had discovered a tweet from 2012 in which he called for the murder of Israelis.<\/p>\n

The tweets highlighted in recent days include remarks advocating \u201ckilling Zionists\u201d.<\/p>\n

\n

The Prime Minister very publicly endorsed and welcomed to the UK a man with disgusting, extremist views.<\/p>\n

Does he really support him? Or was he just ignorant?<\/p>\n

My letter to @Keir_Starmer<\/a>\ud83d\udc47 pic.twitter.com\/Iefk4VxmZc<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Robert Jenrick (@RobertJenrick) December 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick called for Mr Abd El-Fattah to be stripped of his citizenship, which he reportedly obtained through his UK-born mother.<\/p>\n

He was granted UK citizenship in December 2021, when current Tory frontbencher Priti Patel was home secretary, and Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak both pressed Egypt\u2019s president for his release during their time as prime minister.<\/p>\n

The activist was reunited with his teenage son, who lives in Brighton, when he returned to the UK this week after Egypt lifted a travel ban imposed on him.<\/p>\n

Mr Jenrick said his links to the UK were \u201ctenuous at best\u201d and that he was granted citizenship because of a \u201cloophole\u201d.<\/p>\n

He told Sky News: \u201cI would argue now that we know all this about him, it\u2019s in the public domain. He does have extremist views.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis citizenship should be revoked and he should be deported.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if he had agreed with Conservative frontbenchers who had fought for Mr Abd El-Fattah\u2019s release in recent years when the party was in government, Mr Jenrick said he was not a minister responsible for those matters at the time and if he had been he \u201cwould have done some due diligence\u201d.<\/p>\n

The senior Tory had written to the Prime Minister calling for him to \u201ccorrect the record\u201d and withdraw his \u201cendorsement\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven Mr Abd El-Fattah\u2019s record of extremist statements about violence, Jews and the police, it was a serious error of judgment,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n