Some social media users in Egypt launched a new campaign against refugees. While the campaign is not the first of its kind to be initiated on platforms like 'X' and 'Facebook,' it carries incitement and a violent rhetoric, calling for reporting refugees, in violation of the policies of these platforms.

In early June 2024, the Egyptian government issued a final deadline for foreigners residing illegally within its borders, giving them until September 30 to legalize their status and renew their residency in exchange for a fee of approximately $1,000. Since the initial announcement in August 2023, the government has renewed this deadline every three months. This decision comes despite agreements made between the European Union and Egypt in March 2024, under which Egypt receives loans, grants, and investments totaling 7.4 billion euros ($8 billion), with 200 million euros ($218 million) allocated to 'support programs addressing migration issues.' The European Union provided this support because Egypt is one of the main transit points for migrants from North Africa to Europe. However, a report by Amnesty International accused the Egyptian authorities of arresting and deporting thousands of Sudanese nationals fleeing the war, as part of raids targeting those without residency permits.

In light of Egypt's recent actions toward migrants and refugees, anti-refugee campaigns have resurfaced on social media platforms. The latest of these is an incitement hashtag campaign, urging Egyptians to report undocumented refugees to the authorities for deportation.

Between July 4 and July 13, the hashtag #ReportARefugee gained traction, amassing over 11,000 posts, with around 900,000 views, and generating 33,305 interactions, according to statistics from Meltwater, a leading social media analytics tool.

Activity Period of the #ReportARefugee Hashtag – Meltwater

The hashtag #ReportARefugee topped the list in terms of interaction and the number of posts. Its launch coincided with the emergence of several other, less prominent hashtags, including: #DeportSudaneseFromEgypt, #DeportSyriansFromEgypt, #DeportingRefugeesIsAPopularDemand, #DeportingAllRefugeesIsAPopularDemand, #BoycottSyrianStores, #EgyptForEgyptians, #ReturnToDamascusFromCairo, #GoBackToYourSudan, and #GoBackToYourSyria.

A word cloud highlighting the most popular hashtags associated with #ReportARefugee – Meltwater

Who’s leading the campaign?

The campaign against Syrian and Sudanese refugees was led by Egyptian accounts that were previously involved in coordinated online campaigns. These accounts have consistently manipulated social media policies by launching coordinated trolling and defamation campaigns against critics of the president and government. They have also promoted the official narrative in various events and situations.

A total of 2,751 accounts participated in the coordinated anti-refugee campaign, with specific accounts playing a key role in amplifying the hashtags, particularly #ReportARefugee and #BePositiveReportRefugees. The account @bassemelmassry was the top poster on the #ReportARefugee hashtag, with at least 632 posts—an exceptionally high rate, akin to the performance of fake automated accounts. However, Bassem El Massry, or Bassem Bakhit (known as "The Maestro"), is a real person and is one of the most prominent coordinators of trolling and misinformation campaigns in Egypt. Our analysis of his online activity previously revealed that he lives in Ain Shams, a neighborhood in eastern Cairo.

In the early hours of July 6, 2024, Bassem launched the campaign, specifying its goal: "To assist the Ministry of Interior in locating refugees or illegal residents, determining whether they have legalized their status or if deportation is necessary. This is a national duty for a secure society. #ReportARefugee."

The account made sure to include the main operation room's phone numbers for the Ministry of Interior, urging people to call and report refugees. It's unclear who assigned Bassem the task of launching a campaign in support of the Ministry of Interior, but its timing coincides with the Egyptian government's call for refugees and foreign residents to "legalize" their status or obtain residency permits before the deadline. The campaign also followed reports from international human rights organizations about mass inspections and arrests of Sudanese refugees, with some being deported from Egypt back to Sudan, which has been in a state of war since April 2023.

Earlier this year, Bassem led a campaign calling for a boycott of foreign-owned stores under the pretext of supporting Egyptian businesses. He participated in the hashtag #IWillOnlyBuyFromEgyptians, which garnered 21,000 posts at the time—a campaign that was investigated by Arabi Facts Hub.

In response to an account, "The Maestro" announced his intention to launch a "respectable campaign," which he claimed would create "significant momentum in the coming period.”

Bassem pays little attention to X policies regarding coordinated inauthentic content. Whenever the platform restricts access to his account, he quickly resumes his activities using different versions of his similarly named accounts. If one was disabled, he would return with another or resort to his last trick—changing the account handle. Bassem has accounts with various handles, including @bassembekhet1, @basemelmassry3, and @bassemelmassry.

A similar tactic is used by the account _SOLA_a6@, which first appeared under the handle _SOLA_3@. This account belongs to a Syrian woman named Sola ‘Adoum, who lives in Homs. We previously identified her participation in various Egyptian campaigns targeting refugees. Sola posted around 80 tweets using the hashtag #ReportARefugee, making her account the second most active in terms of posts. She was also active on the hashtags #GoBackToYourSudan and #SyriansGoBackToYourLand.

Media Figures, Celebrities, and Influencers

Bassem and Sola are not alone; media personalities, artists, and social influencers also actively participated in anti-refugee hashtags. These individuals are accustomed to engaging in such campaigns, as well as supporting government policies.

Media personality Hala Sarhan, who has one million followers, engaged with the hashtag #StayPositiveReportARefugee. Additionally, actress Laila Ezz El Arab shared a post stating: “Come on, guys, stay positive! If you suspect anyone is an undocumented refugee or if you notice any suspicious apartments or unlicensed commercial or industrial activities involving refugees... or even if it's an Egyptian, contact and report using these numbers.”

The post also saw engagement from the account @redcherry4040, which is involved in political trolling campaigns against opponents. One such campaign targeted politician Ahmed Tantawy, who was sentenced to one year in prison for forgery related to his candidacy in the previous presidential election.

Hate Speech and Misinformation

The hashtags #ReportARefugee and #StayPositiveReportARefugee featured posts containing language and expressions that may be categorized as hate speech. Some of these posts dehumanize refugees, comparing them to animals and invaders, while others incite violence, urging people to "crush" them.

Among the terms used are: “the shawarma guy, sweep them up, filthy and traitorous, savages, scum, dogs, homeland destroyers, despicable creatures, crush them under your feet, useless and despicable, modern-day Hyksos, Zol, Sudanese, Olooq, foolish, savages, Zolats.”

Negative rhetoric dominated the content of both hashtags, accounting for 62.7% of the total posts on the first hashtag and 85.8% on the second, according to Meltwater.

Tone of Speech on the Hashtags #ReportARefugee and #StayPositiveReportARefugees – Meltwater

Emojis, such as animal images (e.g., dogs) and objects (e.g., shoes), were employed in a derogatory manner on the hashtags #ReportARefugee and #StayPositiveReportARefugees. These symbols are commonly used in popular contexts to insult and demean, as illustrated by the most frequently shared symbols on these hashtags.

“X” prohibits hate speech, stating that “attacking others based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, disability or serious illness is not allowed.” The platform also bans incitement, derogatory insinuations, dehumanization, and the use of symbols and images that promote hatred. The platform protects these groups by banning “incitement of behavior targeting individuals or groups from protected categories. This includes spreading fear about a protected group or promoting harmful stereotypes about them.”

In addition to incitement, those behind the hashtags and their supporters employed misinformation to bolster their campaign against refugees. For instance, media personality Hala Sarhan shared a video claiming it depicted "Sudanese nationals escaping from a deportation vehicle." However, "Al Masry Al Youm" newspaper verified the video and found that it was actually filmed in 2023 during the deportation of African migrants from Algeria to Niger.

Another video circulated on the hashtags with a claim that it shows a bus deporting Sudanese refugees from Egypt to Sudan. One of the posts commented on the video: “Goodbye, we don't want to see your faces again, by the people's order, deport all refugees.”

We verified this video through a reverse search, which revealed copies of it posted on the “Al Aziza Transport Company” Facebook pages and groups. The company's name appears on the bus, which operates regular round-trip services between Egypt and Sudanese cities not affected by the ongoing conflict. Thus, the video does not document the deportation of Sudanese refugees but rather an ordinary trip by Al Aziza Transport Company.

According to "X's" usage policies, “False or misleading information” is prohibited on the platform.

Facebook pages and groups

The recent anti-refugee campaign extended to other social media platforms, including Facebook, where the same hashtags appeared on various pages and groups. These included unofficial groups with names related to military and security agencies, as well as groups promoting nationalist ideas.

Some posts were transferred from X to Facebook, such as an image shared by Bassem the Maestro, highlighting the widespread use of the hashtag #ReportARefugee. Additionally, a video circulated claiming to show the closure of Sudanese shops and bakeries for violating closing hours and lacking health permits.

Some members of these groups celebrated unverified reports about the deportation of 11,000 Sudanese nationals and called for the repetition of such deportation measures. Leading among these groups is the "Egyptian Social Media Alliance," whose members have frequently participated in influence and disinformation campaigns over the past years. Some of the group's leaders have attended official events such as the Egyptian Family Iftar and the World Youth Forum.