A British-Egyptian activist, recently freed from years of imprisonment in Egypt, has issued an unequivocal apology for what he describes as "shocking and hurtful" historic social media posts. The controversy erupted just days after Alaa Abd El-Fattah's emotional return to the United Kingdom to reunite with his family.
Apology and Context of Historic Posts
In a statement released on Monday 29 December 2025, Abd El-Fattah addressed the resurfacing of old tweets, some of which appeared to call for violence against "Zionists". He expressed being "shaken" that the posts were being used to question his integrity and had even led to calls for his UK citizenship to be revoked. "Looking at the tweets now - the ones that were not completely twisted out of their meaning - I do understand how shocking and hurtful they are, and for that I unequivocally apologise," he stated.
He framed the posts as the misguided expressions of a younger man, written during a period of regional crisis and the rise of police brutality in Egypt. Abd El-Fattah, now a middle-aged father, said he particularly regretted tweets written during "online insult battles".
Defence Against Misinterpretation and Political Fallout
The activist strongly denied allegations of antisemitism and homophobia, insisting some posts had been "misunderstood, seemingly in bad faith". He claimed one tweet was intended to ridicule homophobia, not promote it, and another was "clearly mocking Holocaust denial" rather than endorsing it.
The revelation of the posts prompted immediate political reaction. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage all called for the Home Secretary to investigate stripping Abd El-Fattah of his citizenship. A Foreign Office spokesperson condemned the "abhorrent" tweets but noted securing his release had been a long-standing priority for successive UK governments.
Background: Imprisonment and Release
Alaa Abd El-Fattah was a leading figure in Egypt's 2011 Arab Spring uprising. He was most recently detained in September 2019 and later sentenced to five years in prison on charges of spreading false news. His case drew international condemnation, with UN investigators calling his imprisonment illegal. Persistent lobbying by both Conservative and Labour UK governments preceded his pardon by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi in September 2025.
He returned to the UK on Boxing Day 2025, flying to Brighton to reunite with his young son, whose birthdays he had missed since 2012. Abd El-Fattah had been granted British citizenship in December 2021 under then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
In his statement, he expressed gratitude for the UK solidarity that helped win his freedom, stating, "I will be forever grateful for this." He also defended his human rights record, citing his public rejection of anti-Jewish speech and defence of LGBTQ+ rights and Egyptian Christians while in Egypt.
