Citroen apologizes for commercial some said was sexual harassment

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Dec. 30 (UPI) — Middle East carmaker Citroen and popular Egyptian pop singer Amr Diab found themselves on the wrong side of viral video Thursday, with the auto company issuing an apology for a commercial many on social media said was a form of sexual harassment.

Citroen was using Diab to promote one of the new features on the car, a built-in camera that allows the driver to photograph scenes outside of the vehicle. In the video, the singer takes a picture of an attractive woman who walks in front of the car and they are seen together later having dinner.

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The concept behind the commercial did not play well on social media and it was showered with criticism.

“As a woman, I already don’t feel safe walking in the streets knowing that it’s full [of] creepy men and now they are advertising this new feature as a way to start taking pictures of women without their permission,” said one person on Twitter, appearing to echo other complaints. “This is Harassment. Stop it.”

Citroen, which is based in Egypt, said it has pulled the commercial off of all of its media platforms.

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The camera was “designed to capture unique driving moments as well as to improve your safety,” the company said in a statement, according to Egypt Independent.

“We deeply regret and understand the negative interpretation of this part of this film. We take the decision to withdraw this version of the commercial from all Citroen channels and we present our sincere apologies to all offended communities by this film.”

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