Euromed Rights Search

Trolls spread rumours accusing first female ship captain of blocking Suez Canal

1 Mar 2021

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The actor of the backlash

The form of backlash

Political trend

March-April 2021: The first woman to be a ship captain in Egypt, Marwa Elselehdar, was subjected to a smear campaign by internet trolls blaming her for blocking the Suez Canal. She commented to the BBC: “I felt that I might be targeted maybe because I'm a successful female in this field or because I'm Egyptian, but I'm not sure”.

See Al Araby (April 2021) and BBC news (April 2021).