Shady Hussein, a correspondent on the comedy television show ‘Abla Fahita’, and Ahmed Malek face arrest amid calls for their arrest by the public after a video in which he ‘pranked’ police officers went viral. While local news outlets such as Al-Masry Al-Youm and Youm7 reported that Hussein was arrested, family members and friends confirmed that neither Hussein nor Malek have been arrested. In statements to state-media Al-Ahram, the Cairo Security Directorate refuted reports that anyone has been arrested for the video. However, the prosecution has confirmed that an investigation into complaints has commenced. The hashtag #Boycott_Abla_Fahita (#مقاطعه_برنامج_ابله_فاهيتا) quickly became trending on social media as the video’s views multiplied, with many calling the ‘prank’ video demeaning, insulting and even abusive. The video showed Hussein blowing up balloons from condoms and writing on them positive messages such as ‘Long Live Egypt’ to ‘celebrate’ the January 25 Revolution. The ‘condom balloons’ were then handed to unsuspecting everyday police officers at Tahrir Square, the heart of Egypt’s 2011 revolution. “From a young Egyptian to the police on 25 January,” said one of the ‘condom balloons’ that was handed to a police officer. “لن تصدق…
Egypt TV Personalities Face Arrest for ‘Condom Balloons Police Prank’ Amid Calls for Boycott
January 26, 2016
