Dubai influencers say people who are fleeing city during Iran War are ‘ungrateful’
Influencers in Dubai have hit out at people fleeing the city during the Middle East crisis, claiming they are ‘brokies’ and ‘ungrateful’.
The content creators living in the glitzy city have been busy selling their lifestyle to the rest of the world, even with bombs falling on the Emirati city since the start of the Iran war.
The question of leaving or staying in the UAE appears to be dividing the wealthy immigrant community, while locals and the millions of low-paid foreign workers often don’t have a choice.
Mitchell Armstrong, a micro-influencer living in Dubai, accused those leaving the city of being ‘brokies’ and ‘acting like headless chickens.’
In a TikTok video posted on Thursday, he said while traipsing to the balcony of a skyscraper that ‘nothing has changed’ for him, and claimed that people who have stayed have ‘made more money.’
He said: ‘While you guys were all running around acting like brokies like “oh my God, there’s bombs, oh my God, let’s get out of Dubai,” all the rich guys, all the guys who are making money and printing bread either profited off the war or made more money, because we’re more locked in.’
He claimed some of those who left earlier now want to return this week, and that there has been ‘no bombs, no crackles, no nothing, no missile interceptions’ for four days.
‘Why leave then? Why did you leave?’ he asked before plunging into a swimming pool.
However, the city and the surrounding areas have seen regular missile and drone strikes and interceptions by the Emirati army.
On Wednesday, drones fell near Dubai airport, one of the busiest in the world, injuring four people.
Viewers on social media have caught up on posts by influencers in Dubai appearing to show almost identical details, which has raised suspicions that the posts might have been paid.
In these posts, people say they don’t feel unsafe because of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the leader of Dubai, an absolute monarchy ruled by his family.
Another influencer, Soudio, who posts content under Soudiofarabia, insisted that Dubai is ‘very peaceful, very quiet.’
‘For those people who want to leave, let them leave. I just think they are very ungrateful,’ she said, adding that ‘I seriously don’t think people’s home countries are any better, they have no idea what they are going back to.’
Soudio has also previously posted the propaganda message used by influencers which carry the message: ‘You live in Dubai. Aren’t you scared?’ followed by ‘No, I know who protects us’.
The UAE has made headlines in recent days after reports that 45 people have been arrested for filming and making posts about the airstrikes on social media, including a British man.
The 60-year-old has been charged under Dubai’s cybercrime laws, which can carry a penalty of up to two years in prison.
Dubai, which attracts almost 20 million international visitors each year, has been turned into a ghost town amid dwindling flights, on and off airspace closures, and the risk of airstrikes.
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