Last week, many Kuwaitis were either shocked or thrilled by a YouTube
video showing a group of young actors getting attacked by some unknown
man. The video was uploaded anonymously but since state security men
dress casually, people interpreted the video as being footage of a man
from Kuwait’s interior ministry attacking the actors for their brave (or
off-limits, as some find it) critique of socio-political issues in
Kuwait.
Those who are xenophobic and/or in favor of playing the role of
“morality police” were happy to believe that those young men were put
out of action, while those in favor of free speech were highly
disappointed. The latter found the video as evidence of how the
government intimidates people for being openly and constructively
critical of issues such as racism and corruption. It turns out the video
was in fact just staged by the group to generate reactions.
* Continue reading this post in Al-Akhbar
