Bassem Youssef, an Egyptian-American comedian and political commentator, deactivated his X account (formerly Twitter), on Tuesday 20 August.
The 50-year-old disabled his account shortly after he posted about the “weaponization of anti-Semitism” on the platform, criticizing that the term has been “overused and abused in order to intimidate people” and shut down discussions about Israel’s war on Palestinian.
In a social media post on Facebook after his account was deactivated, Youssef said that he would consider returning to X when “safety issues” concerning his “loved ones are alleviated”. Youssef did not explain what these safety issues are and confirmed that he would continue posting on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Shortly after his account’s deactivation, Israel’s official X account posted a screenshot showing Youssef’s account failing to load with the caption “Bye”. Youssef responded on Instagram criticizing the post.
“How fragile can you be when the official account of your country acts like a little b****,” said Youssef in a story on Instagram.
Bassem Youssef’s final posts
On X, prior to the deactivation of his account, Youssef posted a a poll asking followers if they were still “scared to be called an anti-Semite by those Zionists.” The post was seen by some as a direct challenge to the narrative that criticism of Israel’s policies is inherently anti-Semitic.
Youssef has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause since 7 October 2023. He originally gained worldwide fame for his satirical news program “Al-Bernameg,” which aired from 2012 to 2014, tackling sensitive political issues in Egypt.
His outspoken nature and willingness to challenge the status quo have made him a prominent figure in the Middle East and beyond.
Last year, Piers Morgan’s interviews with Youssef went viral due to the comedian’s use of dark humor to highlight the brutality of Israel-Palestine conflict.
In one widely-shared clip, Youssef joked that Palestinians “are very difficult to kill” despite their claims of being killed by Israel, satirically saying “I know, because I’m married to one. I try to get to her every time, but she uses our kids as human shields.”
When Piers Morgan interviewed Youssef again in Los Angeles in November 2023, the comedian discussed the differences between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism.
“For many years, the media covering the Middle East has been showing a certain point of view,” said Youssef. “I’m not going to say bias, but I would say it did not allow certain voices, certain voices from the other side to be heard. And that is why you see the frustration. You all, whenever you speak to people in the Middle East, they tell you the same thing.”
Youssef’s account deactivation was originally thought to have been done by the platform itself, sparking a debate about free speech worldwide and the extent to which social media platforms are willing to censor content that is critical of Israel’s actions.
Many pointed to the apparent hypocrisy of Elon Musk, the current owner of X, who has advertised the platform as a haven of free speech, while simultaneously silencing accounts that express views that are seen as unfavorable to the Israeli government.
However, in his latest posts on other social media platforms, Youssef made it clear that this was not the case and that he does not “wish to falsely victimize” himself. Nonetheless, the deactivation, apparently due to safety concerns, sheds light on how silencing can occur through means of intimidation, bullying and other abusive or threatening behavior – something many Palestinian activists and people who have spoken out against the war on Gaza have been exposed to for many months.
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