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The BBC's coverage of online calls to protests against the Egyptian president has been described as "insulting" by the country's news service. By BEN STANSALL (AFP / File)
Egyptian foreign media on Sunday criticized the BBC for an "insulting" article highlighting online calls for protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The BBC Arabic has published this weekend a report on a widely shared hashtag against the anti-Sisi – "Do not worry, you're not alone" – who was calling for protests against the president.
Demonstrations are effectively banned in Egypt and the authorities pbaded a law last year to crack down on social media.
The BBC's coverage has been described as "insulting" by the state's information service, accusing the broadcaster of inciting "violence" and constituting a "tool of propaganda "for the illegal Muslim Brotherhood.
The report "violates the most basic codes of conduct … manufacturing events that have never happened," SIS said in a statement.
He urged "all Egyptian officials and intellectuals" to boycott the BBC until the channel apologizes.
The head of the BBC Cairo office, Safaa Faisal, told AFP that his office was "aware of the complaint now and we will engage in a positive way".
A spokesman for the BBC in London said earlier "to our knowledge, we fully comply" with the SIS regulations.
Also on Sunday, leading Egyptian media outlets reported that they were investigating complaints about the broadcaster.
They relate to "fabricated videos and lies conveyed by social networks," said the Supreme Council for Media Regulation.
Ahmed Moussa, a strong supporter of Sisi and a television host, called for the closure of the BBC office on his show on the Sada el-Balad channel.
Last year, the BBC was strongly criticized by the authorities for a report detailing numerous allegations of "imprisoned, tortured or disappeared" people in Egypt.
The broadcaster maintained its report, which presented similar complaints of abuse committed under the Sisi administration as compared to those detailed by rights groups.
One of the interviewees was accused by the authorities of spreading "false statements" and was jailed after telling the BBC that her daughter had disappeared by force.
The girl appeared on a local TV show stating that she had escaped from her mother, married and had a child.
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