Muslim Brotherhood television channels broadcasting from Turkey, Qatar and London said this week that they plan to incite Egyptians to organise a new wave of street protests. The Brotherhood's media outlets launched an aggressive media campaign two weeks ago, aiming to exploit the so-called Reconciliation Law, passed by parliament in January 2020 to crack down on building code violations, to encourage citizens to organise anti-government protests. Mohamed Ali, the fugitive building contractor who last year attempted to stir up protests by posting videos online, joined the Brotherhood campaign. Videos posted online show Ali calling on people to protest on 2 October — which he called the Friday of Anger — in Ataba and Giza squares. “It is not enough to use social media or television channels to attack the regime, you should move to organise protests in Giza and Ataba squares, and if large numbers join, you should move to Tahrir to put the capital in a state of paralysis,” said Ali. He also recommended that protesters attack police cars with Molotov cocktails. Brotherhood TV channels asked citizens to storm the Egyptian Media Production City in 6 October city. While large numbers did gather in public squares on Friday 2 October, it was not to protest but to celebrate the 47th anniversary of the October 1973 War and declare support for the regime of President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi. Leaders of a number of political parties and coalitions addressed the gatherings, asking citizens not to let “the propagators of chaos” disrupt Egypt again. Abdel-Hadi Al-Qasabi, leader of the Support Egypt parliamentary coalition, said the Brotherhood is trying to destabilise Egypt. “At first they tried to exploit the economic reform programme to score political points,” said Al-Qasabi. “Now they are trying to use the Reconciliation Law to stir up protests.” MP Mohamed Abu Hamed said the Brotherhood's media campaigns use fabricated videos and photos. “The outlawed group have electronic militias that spread false information to undermine confidence in the government and the state. What is important in the coming stage is to stand up to the Brotherhood campaign and expose its lies.” On 25 September, Al-Jazeera aired a video showing what it claimed was a massive street protest at Nazlet Al-Semman village in Giza. It later emerged that the video had been produced by the United Media Company and Al-Jazeera was forced to apologise for misrepresenting the footage. The Nazlet Al-Semman fake demonstration footage “showed all Egyptians the fabricated nature of this group's media campaigns and how they are politically motivated,” said Abu Hamed. Yehia Al-Kidwani, deputy chairman of parliament's Defence and National Security Committee, claimed Brotherhood-led TV channels receive millions of dollars from Qatar and technical support from Turkish intelligence to target Egypt's stability. In response to the Brotherhood's campaigns, local TV channels showed a document on protests in Egypt attributed to Turkish intelligence. The 12-article document asks three Brotherhood TV channels broadcasting from Istanbul — Al-Sharq, Mikamelin, and Al-Watan — to focus on inciting citizens to attack police on the 47th anniversary of the October War on Tuesday, and step up protests in villages to pave the way for an anti-regime revolution. On Sunday Sada Al-Balad channel showed footage of Brotherhood TV presenters urging the government months ago to demolish buildings which had been constructed illegally. “But now, after being instructed by Turkish intelligence, they have changed their tune and are inciting citizens to protest against the Reconciliation Law,” said Sada Al-Balad channel. Local television channels also noted that Yasin Aktay, an aide to Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan, appeared on Istanbul channels several times last week. Sada Al-Balad claimed Aktay had promised Turkish nationality to Brotherhood members living in Turkey as long as they stepped up their anti-Egypt campaigns. In an interview with Arabi21 on 12 September, Aktay surprised many by underlining the need for communication between Egypt and Turkey, regardless of existing political differences. “The Egyptian army is a great one and we respect it very much because it is the army of our brothers,” said Aktay. “There is no way this army would wage a war against Turkey.” In response to what analysts interpret as Turkish calls for rapprochement with Egypt, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri issued a 13 September statement saying Cairo was interested in actions not words. Shoukri noted that, whatever the rhetoric, Turkish policies “in Syrian, Iraqi and Libyan territories are aimed at destabilising the region”. Ankara “issues statements that recommend rapprochement with Egypt, but at the same time gives orders to the Istanbul channels to spread chaos and instability in Egypt,” said Abu Hamed. Egypt has become a major obstacle to Qatari and Turkish schemes to gain a foothold in Libya and the East Mediterranean region, argues Al-Kidwani. “Egypt's maritime deal with Greece has particularly infuriated Turkey, and led Erdogan and his aides to focus on using the Muslim Brotherhood and its channels in Istanbul to exert pressure in the form of hostile media campaigns against the government here.” Minister of Waqf Mohamed Mokhtar Gomaa said in a statement on 22 September that the Brotherhood's latest media campaign shows that it will stop at nothing to try and destabilise Egypt. “They use lies, rumours and fake news in a bid to disrupt the country but no one will heed their calls. Egyptians will never tolerate the Muslim Brotherhood in power again.” *A version of this article appears in print in the 8 October, 2020 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
