Egypt accuses media delegation harassers of violating US protest law

The Egyptian Consulate in New York sent a memorandum to the US State Department calling for the arrest of “Muslim Brotherhood elements” who assaulted members of the official media delegation accompanying President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on his visit to New York.

The consulate claimed that the group violated laws regulating peaceful protests in the US by verbally and physically assaulting the media delegation.

Television hosts Youssef al-Hosseiny and Mohamed Sherdy were verbally and physically assaulted on Monday night by a group of alleged Muslim Brotherhood supporters.

Videos circulating on social media showed a group of protesters sporting t-shirts with the four-finger Rabea sign crowding around the media delegation on the streets of New York, hitting Hosseiny on the back of the head and yelling vulgar slurs.

The group was allegedly organizing a protest in front of Sisi’s place of residency in New York.

A statement on the Egyptian Foreign Ministry’s Facebook page said the memorandum detailed the assault.

The memo also called for canceling the authorizations given to Muslim Brotherhood members to protest, on the basis that their protests have a history of violence.

On his Twitter account, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Abou Zeid said the assault on the media delegation “reinforces the importance of refusing demonstration permit requests by terrorist groups.”

In one of the videos, Hosseiny is seen answering back with obscene slurs and making crude gestures. He defended himself on his Twitter account, saying “A real man doesn’t hit from behind, a real man doesn't hit and run, a real man gets justice, just don’t cry [when he does].”

He also said that they are filing a police report at the New York Police Department accusing the protesters of verbal assault, death threats and threats to bomb the president’s residency.

The police is seen in the video attempting to create a cordon between the media delegation and the protesters. Some of the demonstrators were arrested after the attack, but were released shortly after.

One of the protesters admitted on his Facebook page to assaulting the TV hosts. He said he was released after Hosseiny and Sherdy had enough of his “slaps and kicks.”

Sherdy, on the other hand, questioned what he described as the NYPD’s reluctance to act. On his Twitter account, he posted, “When the NY police watches while Egyptian media delegation is assaulted by MB thugs then you know they are in on it. Land of the brave lol.”