Over 20 people arrested in Dubai, including a British man, for posting videos of drone strikes

[JaneFondue]

Over 20 people arrested in Dubai for sharing drone strike videos on social media | The Standard
Says it all.

@JaneFonduewhat do you think of the military info angle put below?

@notimagainpost in particular

They are funded by the government to be there and post about how great life is there. Anything that deviates from that and the money is cut off. Good discussion on it on the "rest is entertainment" podcast.

I heard an interesting episode of the podcast When it Hits the Fan( all about the PR world) about Dubai and its relationship with social media and influencers and their promotion of the place as being the safest in the world.

In order to post there you have to have permission and it's illegal to post anything that could damage the reputation of the place and its rulers in any way, including damaging its reputation as a very safe place. If you do you can risk imprisonment. It is apparently made absolutely clear what the rules are.

My view is that if you decide to go somewhere like that then if you break their laws you should accept the punishment.

You seem to be conflating two different issues here.

One is the punishment for sharing videos of missile strikes. There are legitimate reasons for clamping down on this, as has been explained repeatedly in this thread. The punishment in Dubai is severe, just like punishments for some other crimes are much more severe in other countries than they are here. When you visit a country, if you fuck around, you find out.

The influencers are a separate issue. I expect some are being paid to continue to promote Dubai. Some very rich people are going to lose a lot of money and they want to stop that. So they'll use whatever tools they can, including dumb influencers. But there'll also be influencers who have made their own entire brand about life in Dubai and they will also want to try and protect that brand, regardless of who is paying them.

They are dim wits. Who follows these fools?

Yes, I guess I am. Just finding the juxtaposition very jarring and indicative of the Dubai bubble.

I understand not sharing videos of strikes. I wouldnt share pix of riots in the UK either. But neither would I spend all day posting pix of me in a kaftan or at a coffee shop.

Yes, I guess I am. Just finding the juxtaposition very jarring and indicative of the Dubai bubble

It’s nothing to do with a Dubai bubble. It’s across the GCC. In fact I don’t really understand why people think the region is all about Dubai.

I think the general UK/UK media view of Dubai and the GCC is skewed to be exclusively about influencers and not ‘normal’ life in the region. Case in point, my cousin didn’t realise Abu Dhabi had been targetted at all because she’d only read about Dubai.

Like@CreamolaFoam26my family have been very scared for me and I’ve really had to calm their fears based on the U.K. press. Things are not ‘normal’ right now, but routines and life have to press on as normal. I am extremely worried about how things might escalate and looking at plans A, B and C and so on, but I do not think I am in imminent danger.

My twopennyworth on this matter - as pp have said you are conflating two issues. 1 is the military issue, look at how the Ukraine and Israel feel about this.

2 Influencers being paid … There are tight media laws here and their visas are attached to their employment, which is media so they will always be careful of what they post. Of course the government is going to want to project a certain image of the country. Especially in this time where its reputation is what is being targeted by Iran

Why are ‘normal’ people praising the government? I suggest you have a little more empathy for the fact that we are living somewhere we can hear missiles daily (sometimes several times daily) and credit the government/military for those missiles (mostly) not hitting us. Imagine how grateful you are to a doctor that saves your life, it’s like a diluted version of that. This is for most people a first-in-a-lifetime situation.

@CreamolaFoam26I hope you’re doing ok 🙏

Useful post @smokingdogs

I have zero sympathy for any of these fools.

They moved to a country with a dodgy record on human rights and no freedom of expression so they could avoid paying tax. What could possibly go wrong...

Tourists. Some are tourists.

You sound like a very warm, empathetic person.

Perhaps you might care a little more when it affects you, such as the increase in oil prices or cost of living.

I think the UK press are loving the ‘downfall of Dubai’ and the articles are atrocious. The people who agree or make similar comments are just as disgusting and it’s quite shameful that people are getting kicks out of others misfortune.

Thank you, it has sometimes been genuinely hard to read the hostility. I would usually have a thicker skin, but for some reason I’ve been feeling a bit sensitive and not my usual self recently 🙃

I’m pretty sure that’s why not many people who live here are posting on these threads.

People seem to be obsessed at the moment. How about they clear up the mess in their own back yards and worry about their own country before attacking somewhere that they’ve probably never even been. It’s disgraceful. Having an opinion is one thing but saying people deserve it is disgusting.

It would be grand if the UK would focus on sorting itself out, but people get elected as MPs here on a platform of sorting out other countries rather than fixing potholes, collecting bins and cleaning sewage out of rivers. I wish we would clean up the literal shit on our own doorsteps first.
Also, in the UK I can write that without getting a prison sentence...possibly.

Yeah I noticed this! A number of people who have landed back in the U.K.
or elsewhere suddenly posting how anxious they were! (Completely understandable but interesting the post was made out of the uae)

I followed one lady from Poland, her husband has a business in Dubai and her kids go to international school. She literally left Dubai with first avaliable flight and was moaning about situation every single day. However, there must be issues within school as her son is getting ready for exams and I believe they'll need to be back for it. So last 2 days her posts are only about how protective is Dubai government, etc. Looks quite fake as 3 days ago she literally complained about every single aspect there.

I see in article posted upthread that a man previously arrested for negative comments, nothing to do with current situation said its all about thd brand, so not do much security then.

"Mr Haigh, who claims he was sexually and physically abused during his detention there a decade ago, said ‘absolutely no content can be posted that could damage the Dubai brand’.
Even rescue workers have been jailed for posting photos of emergencies, he said, adding that ‘no one is exempt’ from the constraints."

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/iran-war-dubai-influencers-uae-safe-b2936551.html

This sums up the dichotomy.

You seem obsessed at this point.

Ok.