"Egypt - Feind hort mit!" - New Egyptian ‘spy’ ad causes public backlash.

"Egypt - Feind hort mit!" - New Egyptian ‘spy’ ad causes public backlash.(TOI).A new Egyptian TV advertisement is warning the public against speaking to strangers, for fear they are foreign spies. But rather than increasing vigilance, the ads have caused an uproar. Local media reported Sunday that the controversial ad was no longer aired on public TV following the public outcry. The advertisements featured a man with Western features entering an Egyptian cafe. “From the start he knows why he came and for what purpose,” read the narration, accompanied by menacing music. “He will infiltrate your heart, as though you knew him forever.”
The ad went on to show three young Egyptians voicing their complaints about the behavior of the military and high fuel prices. “Don’t just open your heart to anyone without knowing who he is and who stands behind him,” continued the narrator. “Every word has a price — a word can save the nation.”
The ads, broadcast this week on Egyptian public television before being pulled, managed to infuriate liberals and human rights organizations, which accused the government of employing scare tactics reminiscent of the previous regime. “This reminds us of what happened during the revolution, when Egyptian television spoke about foreigners seeking to destroy Egypt and support the revolutionaries,” wrote Ahmad Maher, founder of the April 6 youth group, in a statement Sunday. “A number of civilians kidnapped and attacked foreign tourists after being affected by the official discourse on Egyptian TV.”
Maher called on parliament to question the minister of information about those responsible for the ad, which he called “naive and despicable,” establishment Egyptian daily Al-Ahram reported Sunday.
The Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI), a local NGO, went a step further, equating the ad to Nazi-era propaganda. “Ads of this kind are reminiscent of Adolf Hitler’s media directed by Goebbels, who was famous for his blatant lies and his despicable methods of controlling public minds through the media,” wrote ANHRI in a statement.Read the full story here.