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 the this letter, fill in the form below. Names will be published here.

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.