A British tourist arrested after allegedly filming missiles hitting Dubai is facing two years in prison after being charged with a cybercrime.
The 60-year-old Londoner, who was detained on Monday night, is said to have deleted the video immediately when asked. He insists he did not mean to break the law.
However, he has been charged alongside 20 others over videos and social media posts relating to recent Iranian missile strikes on the UAE, according to campaign group Detained in Dubai.
The official allegation relates to ‘broadcasting, publishing, republishing or circulating rumours or provocative propaganda that could disturb public security’. The offence carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
Dubai’s government heavily polices social media and responded to the outbreak of war by threatening jail against anyone sharing information that ‘results in inciting panic among people’.
Videos of drone and missile strikes were regularly shared on social media in the early days of the conflict, but these have largely disappeared and been replaced by a deluge of posts praising Dubai’s government.
Once a tax-free haven attracting influencers from across the globe and thousands of Brits seeking warm weather and crime free streets, Dubai’s carefully crafted image has been shattered and some residents believe it is ‘finished’.
The emirate, home to around 240,000 British expats including Rio and Kate Ferdinand, Luisa Zissman and Petra Ecclestone, has been targeted by constant Iranian missile and drone attacks as the regime strikes US allies in the Middle East.
Dubai’s international airport has been attacked on multiple occasions and four people were injured after a strike on Wednesday. Pictured are images shared on social media on March 7
Pro-government posts shared by western influencers in Dubai have been found to contain suspiciously similar language.
One viral trend has seen influencers sharing clips that begin with the question ‘are you scared?’ before showing photos of Dubai leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum alongside the words, ‘I know who protects us’.
Sceptical social media users have responded by claiming the influencers are being paid by the UAE government to pump out pro-regime ‘propaganda’, although several have spoken out to deny this.
Following his arrest, the British tourist was kept at Bur Dubai police station – where British businessman Lee Brown died in 2011 having been held for five days following an alleged assault.
Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai, said: ‘Under UAE cybercrime laws, one post can lead to many arrests. Anyone who shares, reposts or comments on the same content can face the same charges and be named on the same charge sheet.
‘The charges are vague and broad but serious nonetheless. Those charged could face lengthy prison sentences.
‘Residents could also be detained under national security laws, held indefinitely, denied access to their embassy and be subjected to human rights abuses. In times of tension, extreme caution is advised.’
There are strict laws about criticising or insulting the UAE government or causing ‘reputational harm’ to the country which can result in fines of up to £200,000, or up to five years in prison, and possibly deportation.
Sentences are even harsher if you own property there.
The tough stance is believed to have encouraged self-censorship by influencers in the Gulf state, with earlier clips of Iranian drone and missile attacks now swamped by posts repeating the ‘I know who protects us’ meme.
Influencers have responded to Iranian attacks by sharing images of Dubai leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum alongside the words, ‘I know who protects us’
One expert said that it appeared ‘suspicious’ that the videos were identical and could have started out as a ‘paid trend’
Few influencers will speak about content laws, but Marc Owen Jones, Associate Professor of Media Analytics at Northwestern University in Qatar, said the identical videos were ‘suspicious’.
He was unable to confirm whether the influencers were being paid but did believe there was a strong likelihood that they were in order to emphasise the appearance of safety and stability in the country.
However, he highlighted that the trend may have picked up organically with other unpaid influencers recreating similar videos to appear patriotic.
Professor Jones said: ‘At the moment I don’t know for sure if they are paid or not, but my expert opinion is that this started as a paid trend, an attempt to overemphasise the safety of Dubai since the perception of stability is so important for the country.’
Dubai has been the target of two thirds of Iran’s missiles and three massive explosions rocked the city on Wednesday morning, with the international airport sustaining damage.
Four people were injured as two drones hit the terminal, while a string of major airlines cancelled all flights to the region for weeks.
Even the world famous Fairmont hotel on Palm Jumeirah was struck by Iran, while employees at western banks including Standard Chartered and Citi evacuated their offices amid threats from the Islamic Republic that they were the next targets of their bombing onslaught.
Four people have been killed so far and tens of thousands of residents and tourists have now fled in the weeks since the conflict began.
And those who remain face prosecution if they post videos of missiles overhead, despite constant phone alerts warning them to stay away from windows and seek shelter.
The posts cut to a montage of Al Maktoum being greeted by adoring crowds
On Thursday morning a high-rise building in Dubai was pictured with a large hole after a drone strike
Dubai does not have vast oil reserves and relies on its expat population, which makes up 90 per cent of the city.
It has launched a desperate public relations campaign, telling people the ‘big booms’ in the sky are ‘the sound of us being safe’ as the UAE air defence system takes action.
But it has done little to quell fears.
‘The shine has definitely been taken off,’ John Trudinger, a British Dubai resident of 16 years, told The Guardian.
The headteacher employs more than 100 teachers from the UK at his Emirati school and claims most are so ‘deeply traumatised and really struggling to cope’ with the war that they have fled and will never return.
Taxi driver Zain Anwar saw his car destroyed in a missile attack and said his family are begging him to return home to Pakistan.
He said: ‘I don’t want to be in Dubai any more, there is no business, we are earning nothing since this war, and I don’t see the tourism coming back.
‘A lot of taxi drivers like me, we are thinking to go to a different country now. Everybody knows that Dubai is finished.’
The emirate is home to around 240,000 British expats including Rio and Kate Ferdinand
Socialite Petra Ecclestone cried as she described explosions before, describing how ‘grateful’ she was for ‘how much Dubai puts safety first — and how welcomed and safe it has made us feel’
Iran has continued to pound the city, sending 1,700 projectiles in two weeks, although 90 per cent have been destroyed by air defence systems.
But on Saturday, a drone was caught on video sending up a huge pall of smoke near the airport.
The official Dubai Media Office continued to insist that ‘no incident’ had occurred at the airport as it clamps down on those sharing footage of damage.
