Statement in solidarity with Alaa Abd el-Fattah

We affirm our solidarity with Alaa Abd el-Fattah and extend a warm welcome to him as he is reunited with his family in Britain after spending years unjustly incarcerated alongside thousands of other political prisoners in the jails of a dictatorship for speaking out against human rights abuses. Successive British governments have for decades supported Egypt’s authoritarian regimes through arms transfers and trade deals, including issuing a licence for military radars worth £79m in 2023, while Alaa was still detained. 

Alaa rejects racism, antisemitism and homophobia, as his statement in response to vicious attacks in the media makes clear, and has paid a heavy personal price for his commitment to resisting oppression in Egypt. 

We are appalled by the intense campaign vilifying him which includes calls to revoke his British citizenship, particularly by Tory and Reform politicians whose motivation is to whip up a racist storm in the media. Unlike those attacking Alaa, we will continue to organise and campaign for a world free of all forms of apartheid, colonial occupation and racism, including bigotry directed at Jews, Christians and Muslims because of their faith, and we applaud his courage in standing up for justice. 

MENA Solidarity Network 

To add your name to this letter, fill in the form below. Names will be published here. Please note, names do not appear automatically and the list below will be updated periodically. If you leave your email we may contact you to update you on this and other relevant campaigns.

What you can do:

• Add your name to the solidarity statement by signing above
• Show your support for other political prisoners in Egypt, such as cartoonist Ashraf Omar, who now faces trial on “terrorism” charges. Read more here about the campaign to free him.
• Call on the British government to stop sending arms to Egypt’s authoritarian regime.

Statement in solidarity with Alaa Abd el-Fattah: 363 signatories at (31/12/25)

Amira Abdelhamid, Member, UVW
Mark Abel, Branch Vice Chair, UCU
Benedicte Aboul-Nasr, IWGB
Mahvish Ahmad, Member, UCU
Bahar Aksu, NEU
Sara Allkins
Riya Alsanah, UCU
Sara Alsherif
Scilla Alvarado
Fraser Amos, Lay member, Unite
Frank Amundsen, Member, NEU
Victoria Araj, UCU
George Arthur, National Education Union
Peter Ashan, Member, Newham UNISON
Echezona Asuzu, PAGS, NLC
Paul Atkin, NEU
Toby Atkinson, University and College Union
Helen Austerberry
Rosalind Austin
Don B, Branch Secretary, Northumbria Branch – Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
Sala B, ISO – Croydon district president, NEU
Saeeda Badri, Member, Unison
Sohail BAIG
Bryce Bailey, Unite
Stephen Baker
Katrina Barnes, Women’s rep, NEU
Jane Bassett, Membership sec, Neu
Myriam Bell
Helen Louise Bellamy, NEC, NEU
Martin Bennell, Unite Community
Maureen Bennett
Amanda Bentham, Member, National Education Union
Susan Besford
Gargi Bhattacharyya, Branch officer, UCU
Sultana Bhatti, Member, Unison
Pamela Blakelock, ISO
Cecily Blyther, Anti-casualisation Committee Co-chair, UCU
Tom Bolton, Joint Branch and District Secretary, NEU
Dr Kambiz Boomla, BMA
Mohammed Boota, UNITE
Geoffrey Bottoms, Unite
Lesley Boulton
Lucy Boyle
Lyn Brandon, Member retired section, Unison
David Bridge, Unison
Jayne Britton, Member, Unison
Chris Brooksbank, Member, NEU
Donna brown, NEC member, UCU
Mandy Brown, UCU
William Brownings, Branch Chair, New City College, Hackney, UCU
Fergus Burnett
Sheila Caffrey, National Executive, NEU
Peter Cann, NUJ/Unison retired
David Carter
Russ Chandler, Unite
T J Chaudhry
Daya Chauhan
Natalie Chow
Mahdi Chowdhury, Student Worker, HGSU-UAW 5118
Malwina Chrobakiewicz, IWGB
Lydia Clark, IWGB
Nick Clark, NUJ
Katie Clarke
Linda Cleary, Workplace rep, NEU
Caolan Coleman, School Rep and International Officer, National Education Union
Joe Collins
Patrick Connellan, UCU
Terry Conway, Chair Hackney and Islington Unite Community, Unite
jennifer cooper, TUC observer to COP 30, NEU
Judy Cox
Lucy Cox, National Executive Member, National Education Union
Vanessa Crawford
William Crosby, Anti-Cas Rep / PGR Rep, UCU (ARU/UAL)
Daire Cumiskey
Duncan Davis, Branch Secretary, UTAW – CWU
Robin de Brea, President Lowestoft TUC, Unite
Basil Dean, Rep, Unison
Denzil Dean, Member, IWGB
Kahlo Demmenie, member, iww
Sean Dennis
Christina Downes, UCU retired member
Pippa Dowswell, Joint secretary, NEU
Una Doyle, ISO, NEU
Ian Dudley, Unite
Carolina Duncan
Derek Durkin, Secretary, Trade Unions In Communities
Jan Egan, Unite Commmunity
Janice Egan, Unite Commmunity
Tori Egherman
Mohamed ElGohary, Member/Consultant, Egyptian Engineers Syndicate (Professional Union)
Ann Elphick
Owen Evans, Retired member, Unite
Gavin Everall, Unite delegate to TH TUC, Unite
David Ewing, Anti-Casualisation Officer, Oxford UCU
Craig Farlow, Member, Unite The Union
Saran Feldman
Joao Felix, International Solidarity Organising Forum, NEU
James Fernando
Griff Ferris, Member, IWGB
Alice Finden, UCU
Pete Firmin, Trades Council vice chair, CWU
Brenon Ford
Susie Ford
Penny Foskett, International Officer, NEU
Jean Foster
Marshall Fowkes, Member, Unite the union
David Francis, Member, Unison
Lilian Francis
Mark Francis, Unison
Martin Franklin, National Education Union
Tricia French, Unite
Dawn Furminger
Anthony Gard, Retired, NEU
Paul Garraway, Branch Chair, CWU
Lindsey German, Convenor Stop the War Coalition, UCU
Simon Gilbert
Donny Gluckstein, EIS
Stephen Goldstone
Jonathan Gore, BMA
Tony Graham, Equity and SDUK
Noeleen Grattan, Life member, Unison
Ellen Graubart, member, Unite Community
John Gray, Workplace Rep, NASUWT
Dave Greenhalf, Member, UCU
Jennifer Griffiths
Donna Guy
Stephen Guy, None, Unite the Union
Rosalind Hackett, Prospect
Nina Hammill, UNISON
David Hammond, Unite
Sue-Ann Harding, UCU
Isabelle Hargreaves
Nic Harrison, Member, NEU
Yvette Hartley
Eileen Haste
Lou Hayton, Delegate to Brighton Trades Council, NEU
Barry Hicks
Alison Hill
Orlando Hill, Camden NEU committee, NEU
Michael Holland, Assistant secretary, Lambeth NEU, NEU
Rachel Hollingdale
Doug Holton, Trades Council Secretary; Organiser Greater London Association of TU Councils, Equity
Rob Hoveman, Unite the Community
Andrew Hrnung
Holly Hudson, Member, UVW
Bee Hughes, Branch secretary, UCU LJMU
Valerie Hulme
Daphne Hunter, Ret’d, UCU
Sebeca Hussain
Gabriella Ibba, Member, Ucu
Sara Ibrahim
Philip Inglesant, Branch secretary (personal capacity), Unite the Union community
Afaf Jabiri, Member, UCU
John Jackson
Samia Jaheen
Ewa Jasiewicz, Member and trade union educator, IWGB and Unite
Gareth Jenkins, UCU
Jane Jenkins
Leon Jevons
WILLIAM JOHNSTON
Bryn Jones, Member, UCU
Jennifer Jones, NEU
Despina Karayianni
Seagh Kehoe, UCU
Conor Kennelly
Tareq Khamis, Member, Unite
Nabeela Khan
Ghazalah Kiani
Charlie Kimber, Unite Community
Sally Kincaid, NEU
Sue Kirkpatrick, Retired, NUT
Mary Kitson, Member, Rcm
Agnes Kory
Fatema Kotwal, Usdaw
Barbara Labiejko, UCU
Felicity Laurence
Elizabeth Lawrence, Regional Secretary Yorkshire and Humberside, UCU
Sharifah Lee, Member
ROBIN LEEDHAM
Katie Leslie, PCS Union Rep, PCS Union
Lesley Levane, Branch Equalities Officer, Unite
Anna Livingstone, member, Unite Barts Health
Elizabeth Lloyd, Treasurer, UNITE Community
Rhiannon Lockley, NEC, UCU
Annette Long, NEU
David Longworth, Union rep, Unison
Stephen Lonsdale, Retired member, UNITE the union
Yosefa Loshitzky
Jenny Lynn, Member NE/GEO/12, Unite the Union
Jacqui M McCarney
Teresa MacKay, Secretary, Unite
Gabby MacPherson, Unite
Lee Marfleet, Member, Unite
Philip Marfleet, UCU
Tony Martin
Teige Matthews-Palmer, Workplace rep, Unite
Dr Marian Mayer, National executive committee member, UCU
Martin Mayer, retired GEC member, Unite
Richard Mcewan, UCU NEC, UCU
Peter Mcgahan, Unite
Terence Mcginity, Member, Artist Union England
Jack McGinn, Ordinary Member, LSE UCU
Sheila McGregor, NEU
Helen McHardy, Member, Unite
Keir McKechnie, Unison
Ian Mckendrick, Branch communications officer, Oxfordshire UNISON Health
Mandy McKenna
Tony Mercer, Napo
Andy Merryfield, Member, Neu
Laura Miles, Ucu
John Miller
Kathy Miller, Branch Chair, Unite the Union
Simon Moffat, Member, NEU
Robert Moloney, Retired member, UCU
Carlo Morelli, Rep, UCU
Benjamin Kumar Morris
Maria Morris
Tracie Morrison, Rep, Ucu
Rehana Mulla
Suleiman Pema Musa, Assistant General Secretary, NUPENG
Norhan Nabeeh, Joint Assistant Branch Secretary, NEU
Luxy NacArthur
Hugh Nankervis
Asif Naz
Melanie Ndzinga
Azadeh Neman, NEU
Sticks Nkambule, General Secretary, Swaziland Transport, Communication and Allied Workers Union – SWATCAWU
Natalie Nunn, Unison
Hope Nyabienda, Health and Safety Representative, National Education Union
Aisling O’Beirn, NEC NI, UCU
Carolina Ocampo, Member, NEU
Liam O’Hanrahan, Joint Newham NEU Secretary, NEU
Stephen Oren
Sue Owen, Member, Unite
Pam Page
Clara Paillard, Branch Secretary, Unite the Union
Christina Paine Paine, Chair of London Met UCU and NEC, UCU
Professor Ellie Palmer
Minesh Parekh, IWGB and Unite the Union
Ian Parker, UCU
Susan Pashkoff, Unite Community
Rahul Patel, Joint UCU Branch Secretary, UCU
Wendy Patterson
Diane Pearson, Delegate, UNISON
Simon Pearson, TSSA
Adriano Pereira
Maria Perez
Leila PETIT, member, FSU
Zarria Phillips, Branch activist, Unite the Union
Regine Pilling, NEC / Branch Secretary WKC, UCU
Freddy Potts
MEGAN JAMES POVEY
Nicola Pratt, member, UCU
Charlotte Procter, IWGB Charity Workers branch
John Purcell, Unite Community
Omar Qasim
Caroline Raine, Unite
Fred Ralston
Gage Rancich, Member, Teamsters Local 777
Aeshah Rawat, Unite
Sally Reckert
Ana Redondo, Branch Chair, UCU
John Rees, NUJ
Michelle Reeves
Linda Reilly, Member, Unute
Brian Reynolds, Branch Chair, RMT
Andy Ridley, Rep, Ucu
Caroline Riley, Branch executive member, unite
Annette Rimmer, UcU
Claire Ripley
Shelley Robinson
Helen Romberg
Camilla Royle, NUJ
Jen Russ, Retired, UCU
Binx S, Support staff rep, NEU
Rim Saab, Member, UCU
Thia Sagherian-Dickey, Member, UCU
Abdallah Salem
Fatima Saloo
Ben Samuel, Trades Council delegate, Unite the Union
Maria Esperanza Sanchez De Bruce
Marsha Sanders
Barbara Sansome, SUTR rep, Unite tge Community
Esther Saraga
MARY SAUNDERS
Miriam Scharf, International Solidarity Officer Newham, NEU
Anne Scott, Prospect
Marv Scott, unite community
Nora Scott, Unite
Ayesha Seedat
Daniel Selwyn, International Solidarity Officer, NEU
Daniel Selwyn, ISO, NEU
Jeff Seneviratne
Rekha Shah
Beth Shiner, Vice chair, UCU
Khalid Sidahmed, Vice Chair, Portsmouth Trades Council
Jawed Siddiqi, Member, UCU
Sasha Simic, Shop Steward C133 Central Books, USDAW
Dorothy Simister
SK Simmonds
Sue Simmonds
Peter Simmons
Joe Simpson, Unite
Jeremy Sims, Member, Unite
Tom Sloan, Member, Fire brigade union
Roddy Slorach, Branch secretary, UCU
Dan Smart, Organiser, UNISON
Phil Smart, Branch Secretary/Treasurer, UNITE
Polly Smith, Former nec, now retired, Unison
Jeremy Snell
Ryann Sowden, Member, Unison
Hugh Stanners, NEU
Dave Statham, GMB
John Stephens, Local officer, NEU
Margaret Stone, Unite Community
Rudi Stone, Member, IWW Northumbria
Lynn Stuart
Elga Stuck, Member, NEU
Jenny Sutton, International officer, Hastings NEU
Sharon Sweeney, UCU
Paul Swift, Steward, Unison
Susan Talbot, Unison
Inbar Tamari, Equality officer, Hackney NEU
Walter Tavener, Branch Chair, Unitetheunion.org
Jill Taylor, Retired Member, UNISON
Kerys Taylor, Workplace Rep, NEU
Liz Thompson, Member, Unite Community
Bill Tizard
Tony Phillips Tony Phillips, Treasurer, Waltham Forest Trades Council
Helen Tucker, International Solidarity Officer, NEU
Paul Tucker
Tessa van Gelderen
Alison Vaspe, Formerly Unison
Carmen Vazquez, ordinary member, Unite
Carole Vincent, TULO, Unite (Community)
Daniel Vulliamy, Member, UNITE
Sean Wallis, UCL UCU branch secretary and UCU NEC, UCU
Jo Walton, Member, Unite Community
Annie Webster
Pete Webster, Unite
Sue Wedlock, Member, UNISON
Saira Weiner, LJMU UCU Branch Chair, and NEC, UCU
Tony Whelan, UCU
Elaine White, NEC/FEC; Branch Chair, UCU
Eleanor White
Michaela Wilde, National Executive Member, NEU
Steve Wilkins, Secretary Medway TUC, Unite
Emily Wilkinson, Rep, Branch Secretary Elect, IWW
Pollyanna Williams
Zaineb Williams
Joanna Wilmot, NEU
Rodger Winn
Amanda Witham, CSP
Anna Wolmuth, NEU
Brendan Wood, Unite
Jon Woods, Branch Chair, UNISON
Lucy Wynne
Tim Young, Unison
Heba Youssef, Member, UCU
Samira Yussuf
Shadin Zeidan, IWGB Charity Workers
Zoe Zero, Activist – international solidarity, NEU