Successive UK Governments Face Questions Over Support for Activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah
Successive Labour and Conservative governments have faced scrutiny over their campaign to secure the release and return of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, a British-Egyptian democracy activist. Abd el-Fattah was released from jail in Egypt in September after the travel ban against him was lifted, and he arrived in London on Friday.
He was granted British citizenship in 2021 by the Home Office, with involvement from the Foreign Office, then-foreign secretary Liz Truss, and minister James Cleverly. Labour leader Keir Starmer welcomed Abd el-Fattah's return and stated that his release was a top government priority, although it is understood that he was unaware of Abd el-Fattah's prior online posts at the time.
These online posts included calls for violence toward "Zionists" and the police, which the Foreign Office condemned as abhorrent. Jewish organizations criticized the "effusive" welcome Abd el-Fattah received, arguing that the campaign showed a lack of due diligence by successive governments.
The controversial posts reportedly cost Abd el-Fattah a 2014 Sakharov Prize nomination. In 2015, Abd el-Fattah said the remarks were taken out of context from a private conversation during an Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Some Conservative MPs who previously lobbied for Abd el-Fattah now express regret. Robert Jenrick has called for stripping Abd el-Fattah's dual citizenship and his deportation, suggesting he should live elsewhere.
The case has sparked cross-party scrutiny of the government's handling of the situation, with Labour continuing to lobby and security officials urging Egypt to end Abd el-Fattah's detention.
