Egyptian activists take to social media to support an online campaign demanding the release of four detained members of a satirical street group whose selfie-style video clips mocked the country’s general-turned-president, Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
The activists post selfies on Facebook, entitled “does a mobile phone camera rattle you?” and directed at Sissi.
The campaign comes after police on Monday arrested four members of the group Awlad el-Shawarea, or “Street children.” A fifth member is arrested over the weekend but later released on bail. The performers are facing several charges, including inciting terror attacks and street protests as well as insulting state institutions.
Famous Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef — often described as the Jon Stewart of Egypt — is also taking part in the online campaign. Youssef’s show was taken off the air when freedoms significantly diminished after then-military-chief Sissi ousted Egypt’s first freely elected leader, the Islamist Mohammed Morsi, in July 2013.
“If you truly are not scared of anyone, let them go free,” Youssef posts, referring to the performers and alluding to Sissi’s recent repeated assertions that no one scares him.
— AP
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
