Egypt slams BBC for ‘insulting’ anti-Sisi report

Egypt’s foreign media body slams the BBC over an “insulting” article which highlighted online calls for protests against President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi,

BBC Arabic published a report over the weekend on a widely shared anti-Sissi hashtag — “Don’t worry, you’re not alone” — which called for demonstrations against the president.

Protests are effectively outlawed in Egypt and authorities last year adopted a law to clamp down on social media.

The BBC’s coverage has been branded “insulting” by the State Information Service, accusing the broadcaster of inciting “violence” and being a “propaganda tool” for the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.

The report “breaches the most basic codes of conduct… fabricating events that never took place,” SIS said in a statement.

It urged “all officials and Egyptian intellectuals” to boycott the BBC until the broadcast apologizes.

BBC’s Cairo bureau chief Safaa Faisal tells AFP her office was “aware of the complaint now and we will engage positively.”

A BBC spokesperson in London earlier says, “To our knowledge ,we are fully compliant” with SIS regulations.

— AFP