Alaa Abd El Fattah apologises for resurfaced tweets amid growing calls for his British citizenship to be revoked after his return from Egyptian prison.

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Alaa Abd El Fattah Apologises for Resurfaced Tweets Amid Calls for UK Citizenship Review

By Alex Kleiderman and Harry Sekulich

Background: Controversial Tweets and Public Outcry

British-Egyptian democracy activist Alaa Abd El Fattah has issued an apology for several old tweets that have resurfaced following his recent arrival in the UK. The controversy has sparked debates about his citizenship, with growing calls for his removal from the UK merely days after his release from an Egyptian prison.

Political leaders from both the Conservative and Reform UK parties have pressed the Home Secretary to review whether Alaa Abd El Fattah’s dual British-Egyptian citizenship could be revoked, especially after social media messages emerged in which Abd El Fattah expressed deeply offensive sentiments, including calls for violence against Zionists and police.

The Times (source) reports senior Labour MPs are also advocating for the removal of his citizenship.

“I do understand how shocking and hurtful they are, and for that I unequivocally apologise,” Abd El Fattah stated upon reviewing his historic posts.

Political and Government Responses

Alaa Abd El Fattah acknowledged the seriousness of antisemitism accusations, arguing that some of his old posts were misinterpreted or taken out of context. His statement came as politicians and public figures weighed in, including criticism of Labour’s Sir Keir Starmer, who had initially welcomed Abd El Fattah’s return, reportedly unaware of the resurfaced messages.

The Prime Minister’s spokesperson stated, “We welcome the return of a British citizen unfairly detained abroad… but we have condemned the nature of these historic tweets, and we consider them to be abhorrent.”

Internal government reviews are now underway, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood under pressure to consider whether Abd El Fattah’s citizenship should be revoked — a move that sets a high legal bar and would likely face legal challenges.

Legalities Around Citizenship Revocation

UK law stipulates that citizenship can only be stripped if gained by fraud or if the individual poses a significant national security threat. Downing Street has indicated that these criteria are unlikely to be met in Abd El Fattah’s case. Furthermore, decisions like these are subject to appeals and judicial review.

Notably, he became a British citizen in December 2021 through his London-born mother, and current law does not require a “good character” test for such applications due to a 2016 court ruling.

Dame Emily Thornberry, chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee, emphasised, “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.”

Reaction from Communities and Human Rights Groups

The Board of Deputies of British Jews expressed “profound concern,” with senior vice-president Adrian Cohen noting Abd El Fattah’s “extremist and violent rhetoric aimed at ‘Zionists’ and white people in general is threatening to British Jews and the wider public.”

Human rights organisations — including Amnesty International — argued that they advocated for Abd El Fattah’s release on the basis of human rights and freedom of expression and do not condone any statements inciting hate or violence.

Abd El Fattah maintains some of his comments were grossly misinterpreted, including allegations of homophobia: “A tweet being shared to allege homophobia was actually ridiculing homophobia. I have paid a steep price for my public support for LGBTQ+ rights in Egypt and the world.”

Profile: Who is Alaa Abd El Fattah?

A renowned writer, intellectual, and software developer, Alaa Abd El Fattah became a prominent figure during Egypt’s 2011 revolution. He spent over a decade in prison, most recently convicted in 2021 of “spreading fake news” for a Facebook post on torture following a trial denounced by human rights groups. He was granted UK citizenship in 2021 under the Conservative government and finally freed in September 2025 after ongoing campaigns by family and supporters.

In 2014, he was nominated for the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize, though this was later withdrawn due to controversial remarks about Israel posted in 2012. Abd El Fattah claims these were private comments made during the context of conflict in Gaza.

After being released from a travel ban imposed by Egyptian authorities, Abd El Fattah has reunited with his 14-year-old son in Brighton.

The Path Forward

The case of Alaa Abd El Fattah continues to raise challenging questions around freedom of speech, citizenship, and public accountability in the UK. Political, community, and legal responses remain divided, underlining the intense scrutiny over social media conduct and the standards for holding and maintaining British citizenship.

Related reading

• UK efforts to free activists detained abroad
• Amnesty International: Citizenship and Statelessness (authoritative external link)

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