Famed Egyptian actor Khaled Abol Naga is facing a wave of criticism by TV figures known for their loyalty to the regime after footage of him emerged saying President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi should leave if he is unable to do his job.
The video, posted by Bawaba News Saturday, showed Abol Naga criticizing what he said was “military thought” that will eventually “take the country downhill” and posed a greater threat than terrorism. He added that “if [Sisi] cannot secure the country while preserving human rights, then he does not know how to deal with his position.”
“You are not even facing an intelligent enemy. You are facing those pseudo-Islamists; they are the stupidest we have ever seen in our lives. It is bizarre, there is nothing they do that does not make people hate them. And you cannot do your job?” Abol Naga told reporters in the video, which was filmed during the recent Cairo International Film Festival.
In response, a lawsuit accusing Abol Naga of “treason” was filed by lawyer Samir Sabry on Nov. 9, Sabry told Sada el-Balad channel Sunday.
Abol Naga, who is also a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, has previously condemned the 2013 Protest Law, and retweeted an Arabic hashtag that translates into “down with military thought.”
For his part, Sabry—who is already notorious for filing lawsuits against activists—on his Twitter account accused Abol Naga of “inciting the overthrow of the regime.”
Also chiming in, TV personalities on private channels like Ahmed Moussa, Taufiq Okasha and Mazhar Shahin have called Abol Naga “unmasculine.” Shahin and Moussa went further by mocking the fact Abol Naga was never drafted into the military like most Egyptian men, and said he lacked the expertise to comment on military operations in the Sinai.
Taking again to Twitter, Abol Naga responded to the insults by saying he reserved the right to sue every media body who attacked him for his “rightful opinion on the failure of Sisi.” He added that Egypt’s 2014 Constitution ensures freedom of expression.
Abol Naga also criticized the displacement of Sinai’s Bedouins to create a buffer zone on the border with Gaza.
He went on to create the hashtag #Support_Abol Naga after several Twitter users expressed solidarity with him.
