A high-profile charity campaign, launched by a famous manufacturer of fizzy drinks, has recently got off the ground with the catchy motto: "If it's crazy that you make somebody you don't know happy, then get crazy!" The drive, promoting corporate social responsibility and interdependence in Egyptian society, is based on colourful TV commercials and street posters. Yet the other day unknown people twisted the campaign's message to preach violence, much to the chagrin of the company and the police. Some of the street posters promoting the campaign have mysteriously been replaced with others, reading: "If it's crazy to set the Interior Ministry on fire, then get crazy!" The company hurried to distance itself from the call for violence, reiterating that the aim of its campaign is to "spread joy among members of society". "Any misuse of this campaign amounts to a deception of the public and undermines its message of benevolence," the company said in a statement quoted by the semi-official newspaper Al-Ahram. The Interior Ministry, which is in charge of security forces in Egypt, has said it will take legal steps to stop "this hostile campaign that harms the country's interests", according to the same newspaper. The company insists on its innocence. "The company confirms it is not in any way responsible for these advertisements or messages. It rejects any message inciting violence," it stressed in a recent statement. The Interior Ministry has recently been the target of scathing criticism from the opposition, claiming that the police have aligned with the Brotherhood to quell anti-President Mohamed Morsi protests. A series of court acquittals for many policemen, accused of killing peaceful protesters during the uprising against former president Hosni Mubarak, have met with a public backlash. Earlier this month, militant soccer fans, known as Ultras, were reportedly involved in torching a police club complex in central Cairo, after a court had cleared seven policemen of any guilt in the deadly rioting that occurred in the city of Port Said more than a year ago. Opposition activists have repeatedly called for "purging" the police of Mubarak loyalists and incompetent personnel. For their part, the police recently staged a brief strike and demanded they be kept out of politics. Some angry policemen have called for sacking the recently appointed Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim, alleging that he is allowing the Brotherhood to manipulate security agencies. Politics has for months been the author of Egypt's street turbulence and economic woes. It has raised its head time and again to strike at a benevolent campaign and fan violence. What weary Egyptians desperately need right now is a respite, a time for peace, reconciliation and hard work.
