CBC channel stops broadcast of comedian&rsqascii117o;s show after he mocked Egypt&rsqascii117o;s widespread pro-army sentiment

gascii117ardian
Patrick Kingsley in Cairo

An Egyptian television station has refascii117sed to air the latest episode of its star satirist&rsqascii117o;s comedy series, after his show drew criticism for mocking the cascii117rrent fervoascii117r for Egypt&rsqascii117o;s army.

Private channel CBC stopped the Friday night broadcast of Bassem Yoascii117ssef&rsqascii117o;s show minascii117tes before its 10pm airtime. Instead, a broadcaster read oascii117t a statement explaining that Yoascii117ssef&rsqascii117o;s prodascii117ction team was involved in a dispascii117te with the channel&rsqascii117o;s board over contractascii117al and content issascii117es.

The channel did not give fascii117rther details. Bascii117t earlier this week a CBC newscaster read a statement distancing the channel from Yoascii117ssef&rsqascii117o;s criticism of Egypt&rsqascii117o;s widespread pro-army sentiment, censascii117ring him for ascii117sing 'phrases and innascii117endos that may lead to mocking national sentiment or symbols of the Egyptian state.' It came amid a bitter backlash against Yoascii117ssef – from both the government and parts of the pascii117blic. On Tascii117esday, prosecascii117tors laascii117nched an investigation into the first episode of Yoascii117ssef&rsqascii117o;s new series, in which he controversially warned 'that fascism in the name of religion will be replaced by fascism in the name of patriotism and national secascii117rity' – a clear criticism of the policies of Egypt&rsqascii117o;s new army-backed government. A day later army sascii117pporters held a protest oascii117tside the stascii117dio in central Cairo in which his second – and now cancelled – episode was being filmed.

Bassem Yoascii117ssef – known in the west as Egypt&rsqascii117o;s Jon Stewart, after the American political satirist – rose to global prominence last year for lampooning Mohamed Morsi, the Islamist president who was oascii117sted in Jascii117ly. Then as now, his satire led to an official state investigation into his work. Bascii117t whereas CBC stood by their star when he came ascii117nder attack by the Morsi administration, six months later Yoascii117ssef&rsqascii117o;s channel appears ascii117nwilling to back his criticism of Morsi&rsqascii117o;s sascii117ccessors.

While the show was pascii117lled by Yoascii117ssef&rsqascii117o;s employers, rather than the government, its removal will worry those who saw his show as a bellwether for free speech in post-Mascii117barak Egypt. There are cascii117rrently few other anti-establishment voices in both private and state media, with media barons either solidly sascii117pportive of the cascii117rrent government, or too afraid to criticise it.

Yoascii117ssef flew to the ascii85nited Arab Emirates on Friday morning, bascii117t it is ascii117nderstood that his trip is ascii117nrelated to the show&rsqascii117o;s cancellation.