Egypt steps up censorship before today's anti-Morsi rallies (updates, live video feed)

Today is June 30th, and hundreds of thousands of Egyptians are protesting the one year anniversary of the rule of president Morsi. Many Muslim Brotherhood supporters are attending counter-protests. And lots of Egyptians are holed up in their homes, worried about violence spilling over.

The government is reacting in a way very similar to how the despised Mubarak regime did - by censoring the media.

Today, five satellite channels are being threatened by an Egyptian communications commission with closure when they refused to attend a meeting about how they are supposed to cover the protests according to a "code of honor."

Al Ahram reported, in the wake of Morsi's speech on Wednesday:

Within hours, ripples from the Islamist president's speech could be felt across Egyptian media.

A talk show on the Al-Fareen TV channel ended abruptly on Thursday night when the presenter learned he was to be arrested. Host and owner of the channel, Tawfiq Okasha, is accused of spreading false information and the channel has ceased broadcasting.

Another prominent presenter resigned on air on state-run television in protest at what he called "government interference" in the editorial content of his programme.

Owner of Al Nahar and CBC channels, Mohammed El-Amin, was banned from travelling after Morsi referred to him by name in his speech, claiming that he failed to pay his taxes, "that's why his channel is targeting the president and the Brotherhood," said the president to an all Islamist crowd who cheered "purge the media."

El-Amin later denied any wrongdoing.

Egyptian overage of the protests may be a bit muted as a result.

At this moment, protesters are scheduled to march on the presidential palace with Morsi supporters plan to counter them.

Not that anti-Islamist rallies mean that people are any less anti-American: (Anne Patterson is the US ambassador to Egypt)

Live coverage on YouTube.



(h/t Yoel)