Wikipedia Buries Violent Rhetoric Of British-Egyptian ‘Human Rights Activist’

The Wikipedia entry of a British-Egyptian national downplays his history of violent and antisemitic rhetoric that was spotlighted by critics after he was welcomed into the U.K. by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The first section of the Wikipedia page for Alaa Abd el-Fattah describes him as an “Egyptian-British software developer, blogger, political activist and former political prisoner who was imprisoned by the Egyptian government for 12 years.” It briefly summarizes his history of conflict with the Egyptian government, serving stints in prison for “organising a political protest without requesting authorisation” and for “spreading fake news.”

Abd el-Fattah received a literary honor as a 2024 PEN Pinter Prize “writer of courage,” according to the page. Starmer lobbied the Egyptian government for Abd el-Fattah’s release and considered the case a top priority.

At the bottom of the introductory section, the page briefly mentions a “controversy over his past social media posts” that broke out after his arrival in the United Kingdom. The posts contained “openly racist views and incitements to violence.”

Over a decade ago, when Abd el-Fattah was around 30 years old, he posted a number of messages on what was then Twitter, calling for the death of Zionists. He also described himself as being “far from British” and described the British people as “dogs and monkeys.”

Other posts called to “kill all foreigh [sic] journalists” and “advocate genocide against journalists.” Abd el-Fattah particularly disliked “f*cking white journalists.” He described “white people” generally as “a blight on the earth.”

Critics, such as Ashley Rindsberg at NeutralPOV, have contrasted Wikipedia’s treatment of Abd el-Fattah with right-wing figures such as Tommy Robinson, who the site describes as a “British far-right activist” with “a history of criminal convictions” in its opening paragraph.

Wikipedia entries have grown in influence with the rise of artificial intelligence. AIs appear to scrape the site for information, deeming it a trustworthy source. The site has been suspected of bias against conservatives and as a path for foreign influence into American information networks. Earlier this year, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform announced an investigation into bias and foreign interference on Wikipedia.

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Abd el-Fattah arrived in the United Kingdom last week after nearly two decades of run-ins with Egyptian authorities. He obtained U.K. citizenship in 2021 through an immigration law that allows mothers to transmit citizenship to their children, even allowing him to bypass a “good character” background check that some lawmakers argue he would have failed because of his past calls for violence.

“I’m delighted that Alaa Abd el-Fattah is back in the UK and has been reunited with his loved ones, who must be feeling profound relief,” Starmer posted on December 26. “Alaa’s case has been a top priority for my government since we came to office. I’m grateful to President Sisi for his decision to grant the pardon.”

Starmer later claimed to have been unfamiliar with Abd el-Fattah’s “abhorrent” past statements. Starmer pushed for Abd el-Fattah to be released by Egyptian authorities for years after his imprisonment over “social media posts.”

Abd el-Fattah has often been described as a “pro-democracy” activist for his support of the Arab Spring protests that took place in Egypt in 2011. The protests called for democratic elections in order to install leaders affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

The Trump administration recently deemed certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood terror groups, including the Brotherhood chapter in Egypt that Abd el-Fattah rallied in support of. “Democracy” in the Middle East is often used to justify national and regional takeovers by radical Islamists, according to experts.

“After the Arab Spring protests of 2011 brought down dictatorships across the Middle East, many Brotherhood branches even embraced elections as a means of seeking power,” according to an October report from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. “They may accept leaders chosen by the people, but their bedrock conviction remains that no government is legitimate unless it rules according to the dictates of sharia, Islamic law.”