Activists and users across the Middle East are rallying in support of Bassem Youseff after he deactivated his X-Account due to security concerns.
Youssef said he deactivated his account for security reasons regarding his loved ones (GETTY)
Online users in Egypt and across the Middle East have shown overwhelming support for well-known Egyptian political satirist Bassem Youssef after his X-account was deactivated on Tuesday.
Initial reports suggested that the platform had suspended his account, allegedly due to allegations of anti-Semitism and his vocal pro-Palestinian stance during the ongoing Gaza conflict. This sparked significant backlash, with many rallying behind Youssef and condemning the platform’s decision.
Arabic and English hashtags with his name quickly gained traction online, generating over 140,000 reposts and comments in less than 24 hours.
Activist Osama Rushdi expressed his support for Youssef “in his just fight against the Zionist terrorist who tries to subjugate critics of the genocide and war crimes in Gaza under the pretext of anti-Semitism.”
Egyptian-American writer Mamoun Fandy wondered whether “the real genocide in Gaza is being relocated to the virtual world,” and called the deletion of Youssef’s report “virtual violence that must be opposed.”
User Ayad Qassem wrote on X that “the move raises concerns about the future of freedom of expression on X and the extent of Israeli influence on Western media.”
Youssef posted a statement on his Instagram account late Tuesday, saying he had deactivated his X account for security reasons for his loved ones.
“No, my X account was not blocked by X and I do not want to unfairly portray myself as a victim,” he said.
“Once the safety concerns about my loved ones are resolved, I may consider returning. I want to deal with the matter away from the media,” he added.
Israel’s official X-account commented on the deactivation by posting the comedian’s deactivated profile and writing “Bye,” to which Youssef said: “How fragile can you be when your country’s official account behaves like a little bitch!”
Youssef is known not only for his satire, but also for his vocal criticism of the Israeli war against Gaza, in which more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7.
He attracted attention through his interview with British journalist Piers Morgan, in which he criticized Israel’s war against Gaza with black humor.
