Egyptian authorities ban social media satire pages
Egyptian satirists and the public figures they mock play a cat-and-mouse game on the internet.
After the Egyptian officials clamped down on satirical programs in Egypt, notably "Al-Bernameg," which had been hosted by media presenter Bassem Youssef, Egyptian satirists have resorted to social media as a supposedly safe haven where they can pursue their favorite hobby — taunting heads of state, especially President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
The Egyptian satirists’ idea was to create pages on various social media platforms that carry the name of the political character whom they make fun of. Therefore, they created pages that held the names of Sisi and former President Hosni Mubarak, in addition to the latter’s wife, Suzanne Mubarak, and his son, Gamal.
Sources have told Al-Monitor that many of these pages are administered by a young man who is 16 years old.
The administrator of the satire page usually ridicules the politician by publishing posts on the latter’s virtual daily life.
