Egyptian govt slammed for releasing 'don't talk to 'spy' foreigners' advert

Cairo, June 9 (ANI): The Egyptian government has been slammed for releasing a series of television advertisements, which warn citizens against talking to foreigners because they might be spies.

The 40 seconds advert features a foreign man walking into a cafe and then sitting down with a group of three young Egyptians.

A girl at the table starts talking to the English-speaking guest about a reported conspiracy against the army.

The man nods along, before tapping a message into his mobile phone to an unknown third party.

A slogan then appears on screen saying, 'Every word has a price; a word can save a nation.'

According to The Independent, the adverts, which appeared on state-owned and private television stations, have generated bemusement and anger among Egyptians and foreigners alike.

An Egyptian blogger Zeinobia raised the possibility the campaign was an 'opening salvo in a war against civil-rights organisations and journalists.'

"I fear that this ad is an introduction for a campaign against human rights activists and journalists from abroad so they will not cover the upcoming crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood as well [as] revolutionary powers and groups," the blogger wrote.

According to the paper, a Cairo-based journalist criticized the advert, saying it took Egypt back to the 'Dark Ages'. (ANI)