2023-07-10 15:19:24
By Le Figaro with AFP
Posted 3 minutes ago, Just updated
The «Hall of fame» of the Ferrari amusement park in Abu Dhabi. MARWAN BELIEVED / AFP
In a video, this “resident of Asian nationality” appears in gandoura at a luxury car dealership, throwing dirhams at employees.
The United Arab Emirates prosecutor’s office announced the arrest of a man from “asian nationality“for broadcasting a”false and offensive imageof the Emiratis, after the publication of a humorous video in which he caricatures the citizens of the oil-rich Gulf state.
In this video relayed on social networks, the man appears in a white gandoura, the dress worn by most Emirati men, at a luxury car dealership, and asks to see “The most expensiveby throwing dirhams at employees. Accompanied by twoassistants» which carry wads of cash, he refuses a red Ferrari deemed too affordable, despite its price set at 2.2 million dirhams (about 545,000 euros). In English, with a strong Emirati accent, he demands “this Mercedes, this Rolls Royce, and a Red Bull». «Keep the change“, he said, great prince, to a man presented as the boss of the concession.
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“Abuse of the Internet”
According to the official WAM news agency, “the federal prosecutor’s office in charge of the fight against rumors and cybercrime ordered the detention of a resident of Asian nationality.” This last one is “accused of having misused the internet by publishing polemical propaganda which agitates public opinion and harms the general interest“, added the agency on Sunday. The prosecution considered that the video “insulted Emirati society» and that the attitude of the man «ridiculed“Emirati citizens by giving a “a false and offensive image“. The prosecution has alsosummonedthe car dealership owner, WAM said.
Among the world’s top oil exporters, the Emirates are home to around 90% foreign workers, with the local minority population often seen as extremely privileged with a taste for luxury. In 2021, the authorities reinforced a law against “rumors» and the «cybercriminality“, targeting in particular Internet users publishing messages deemed too controversial or critical. In June, a woman was given a six-month suspended prison sentence for “appealed to public opinionby posting the video of a tense exchange with a Kuwaiti writer, formerly imprisoned in the United States for sexual assault.
According to human rights NGOs, freedom of expression is particularly restricted in this country which is very concerned about its international brand image, particularly through its famous emirate of Dubai. The authorities, for their part, say they are applying the law to defend their “values» et «customs».
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