'Egyptians out': Kuwaiti Trending Hashtag Maybe 6 Years Old

Social media users in Kuwait were shocked yesterday by a hate trending hashtag calling for the expulsion of Egyptian workers from the country, wondering how it originated in the first place.

As soon as the hashtag #طرد_المصريين_من_الكويت (Expel Egyptians from Kuwait) went viral in the GCC country, vast majority of users took the chance to use it in tweets against discrimination and hate; calling on social media experts to track the ones behind it.

Tensions between officials in both Kuwait and Egypt have been on the rise during the last few weeks, especially after hundreds of Egyptian workers in the oil-rich country lost their jobs in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak and demanded that going back to Egypt.

In the country where at least half a million Egyptians work, some Kuwaiti voices have been calling on authorities to prioritize Kuwaiti citizens when it comes to employment opportunities, "even if it meant laying off Egyptians."

Translation: "Why do we have foreign security officers in our public schools? They should be laid off because they are more of a ticking bomb inside our schools. Their attitudes pose danger to our daughters. They should be replaced with Kuwaiti ones or maybe some of the stateless people, all following the Ministry of Education's rules."

Using internet tracking tools, Kuwaiti users found out that the first time the hashtag was used was back in October of 2014, suggesting that "it has nothing to do with the current crisis and that it's yet another attempt to spread hate among people of different backgrounds."