After the publication of a highly questionable promotional video in Egypt, the French automaker Citroën is rowing back. In the new clip, the Egyptian pop star Amr Diab can be seen at the wheel of a Citroën, who has to brake sharply because of a woman on the side of the road. After the two of them make eye contact, Diab uses a built-in camera in the car to secretly take a photo of the woman - the picture appears shortly afterwards on the cell phone of a grinning Diab. In addition, the sentence appears: “Hold onto every beautiful moment.” Later the two can be seen together.
After criticism on social media that the clip promoted sexual harassment, Citroën finally withdrew the commercial.
"We do not tolerate any form of harassment," says a statement published on Wednesday evening by the manufacturer, which belongs to the Opel parent company Stellantis.
The camera built into the C4 model should "capture unique driving moments" and ensure greater safety.
We regret the "negative interpretation" of the scene and understand, said Citroën on Facebook.
The initiative “Speak Up”, which aims to protect victims of harassment and abuse, wrote on Twitter that a photo without the permission of the person photographed was a “crime”.
Suffragette Reem Abdellatif wrote that taking a photo without permission was "scary".
Citroën and Diab would make sexual harassment possible.
Sexual harassment and violence are a serious problem in Egypt.
In 2020, in a survey by the “Arab Barometer”, around 90 percent of all women between the ages of 18 and 39 stated that they had been sexually harassed within one year.
Several campaigns want to tackle the problem, for example with self-defense training or legal advice.
But the causes are also the role stereotypes and norms in a society that is heavily dominated by men.
The pop singer Amr Diab is considered the most successful artist from the Arab world in terms of music sold.
His lyrics are mainly about great love, longing and heartbreak.