Activist apologises for historic tweets as Tories urge Starmer to deport him from UK
Freed activist makes ‘unequivocal’ apology for historic tweets
- Democracy activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah, who recently arrived in the UK after years of imprisonment in Egypt, has issued an "unequivocal" apology for historic tweets appearing to advocate violence against Zionists.
- The controversy has prompted calls from Conservative and Reform UK leaders, including Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, for an investigation into revoking his British citizenship and deportation.
- Mr Abd El-Fattah attributed the posts to "a young man’s anger and frustrations" during regional crises and police brutality, while maintaining some tweets were "completely twisted out of their meaning."
- The Foreign Office affirmed his British citizenship but condemned his "abhorrent" historic tweets, with shadow home secretary Chris Philp calling for his deportation.
- Jewish community organisations have expressed concerns about the safety of Jewish communities, urging the government to ascertain if Mr Abd El-Fattah still holds the views expressed online.