Social media users have slammed a state TV ad that warns people against foreign spies, saying that it will help increase levels of xenophobia in society. The ad features a man entering a cafe where a group of young people are sitting and chatting. The "foreign spy" joins them as they talk about the political and economic situation in the country. A voiceover says the spy is receiving "valuable information" from normal people talking about problems in Egypt, such as traffic and fuel shortages. Twitter users mocked the commercial, particularly a bit in which the "spy" says the word "really?" in English. They said that spies don't need to go to cafes to get valuable information since all the crises facing the country are obvious. One Twitter user said "any idiot will know that there is a crisis in fuel if he sees the queues in front of gas stations.” During the 18-day uprising that began on 25 January last year, loyal to longtime leader Hosni Mubarak and facing its biggest political challenge in three decades, state media tried to discredit the protestors in Tahrir Square by saying they were receiving foreign funds. It was normal at the time to see talk shows on state run channels, and even private ones, warning people against foreigners. Scores of foreign students, journalists, tourists and Egyptians mistaken for foreigners were attacked on the basis that they were spies during that time. Following Mubarak's ouster, the military rulers used the same tactics, accusing the activists of the April 6 Youth Movement of being spies and blaming the crackdown on protesters on foreign infiltrators The recent ad comes ahead of the run-off vote for the presidency on June 16-17, which pits Ahmed Shafiq, Mubarak's last prime minister, against the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Morsy. Some Twitter users said that the ad might be sponsored by the intelligence and the secret national security agencies to spread fear among the Egyptians, a strategy that would serve Shafiq. On June 2011, Egypt arrested Ilan Grapel, a US immigrant to Israel, on suspicion of spying. He was later released in exchange for 25 Egyptians who had been imprisoned in Israel.
