A father behind bars — Placing posters at bus stops around London, Leeds and Manchester, they called for greater action from foreign secretary David Lammy to reunite the British-Egyptian activist with his son and family.
Campaigners have hacked bus network advertising boards across London, Manchester and Leeds to protest the ongoing imprisonment of British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd El-Fattah in Egypt.
The protest ran yesterday, June 15, on Father’s Day, calling on the British foreign secretary David Lammy to take more urgent action in securing Abd El-Fattah’s release, while noting that Abd El-Fattah’s son Khaled Saif continues to grow up without the presence of his father.
Posters were placed in network billboards at bus stops, with one of them reading: “A father behind bars. A son growing up without him. A foreign minister failing his duty.”
British government officials have previously attempted to intervene, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaking to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on May 22 to press for Abd El-Fattah’s release, while Lammy was a vocal critic of the previous government’s record on the case while in opposition. Campaigners believe that their action has not gone far enough, with Amnesty International calling upon Lammy to visit Abd El-Fattah in prison during his trip to Egypt earlier this year.
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Corey, a teacher and father who took part in the ad hack, commented: “As a father it is unimaginable to me that Alaa has remained separated from his son for so long. It’s shameful that Alaa’s son is growing up with his father behind bars in Egypt, despite the fact that Alaa is a British citizen.”
Mike, another activist and father, remarked: “We haven’t forgotten that Lammy frequently used Alaa’s plight as a human rights talking point when the Labour Party was in opposition. Now in power, I hope that Labour will deliver on those exact talking points to get Alaa back with his son.”
Abd El-Fattah’s mother, Laila Soueif, has been undergoing a hunger strike since September 29, 2024 – the day after he had been detained for five years – and was admitted to hospital in May after spending more than 240 days on hunger strike.
Responding to today’s action, a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said: “We are committed to securing Alaa Abd El-Fattah’s release. The Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have stressed the urgency of the situation in their calls with their counterparts recently, and further engagement at the highest levels of the Egyptian government continues.
“We are deeply concerned by Laila’s hospitalisation. We remain in regular contact with Laila’s family and have checked on her welfare.”
Isaac Muk is Huck’s digital editor. Follow him on Bluesky.
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