Influencer arrested in Dubai over satirical TikTok mocking Emiratis
Influencer is arrested in Dubai over satirical TikTok video mocking wealthy Emiratis: Video shows man on spending spree in luxury car showroom as he tosses wads of cash at employees and offers to buy every vehicle including £460,000 Ferrari SF90
- Hamdan Al Rind posted video to his 2.7million followers on his TikTok channel
- Posing as a wealthy Emirati, he tries to buy most expensive car in a showroom
- Mr Al Rind is accused of ‘abusing the internet’ by posting ‘propaganda’
A TikTok influencer has been arrested in Dubai after posting a satirical video of himself mocking wealthy Emiratis on a massive spending spree in a luxury car showroom.
Hamdan Al Rind, who refers to himself as the ‘Car Expert’, is accused of ‘abusing the internet’ by posting ‘propaganda that stirs up the public opinion and harms the public interest’.
The video shows the prankster wearing a kandura, the long white robe typically worn by Emirati men, sunglasses and a surgical mask.
Dressed in the traditional Emirati garb, he strides into the Luxury Super Car Rentals Dubai showroom with two men trailing behind carrying a huge stack of money.
The influencer, who is a UAE resident of Asian descent, first approaches a female worker and asks ‘Where boss?’ before tossing her a wad of cash ‘to go buy coffee’.
TikTok influencer Hamdan Al Rind (pictured) has been arrested in Dubai after posting a video of himself posing as a wealthy Emirati inside a luxury car showroom
The video shows the prankster walking into the showroom wearing a kandura, the long white robe typically worn by Emirati men, sunglasses and a surgical mask
The influencer throws money at members of staff in the showroom and tells them to go and buy coffee
He then confidently walks up to the owner of the showroom, Ahmed Mansour, and demands to know what the most expensive car he can buy is.
When asked what his budget is, the camera pans around to a sea of bank notes stacked up as he jokes: ‘Small budget. I have not too much but what do you have?’
The owner then tells him that the most expensive car is the £458,500 (2.2m AED) Ferrari SF90 but seemingly poking fun at the lavish lifestyles of Dubai, the TikToker jokes: ‘I need more expensive brother. I don’t need this. This is what my driver will drive.’
As the owner takes him on a tour around the showroom and tells him everything is for sale, Mr Al Rind wanders off to throw another member of staff money ‘for a coffee’.
In a matter of seconds, the influencer – who has 2.7million followers on TikTok – then goes on a fake spending spree, asking for four pricey cars including an Audi R8, a Mercedes, a Rolls Royce – ‘and a Red Bull’.
When the owner tells him he can have the Red Bull on the house, Mr Al Rind slaps more money in his hands and jokes: ‘No problem, keep the cash.’
Since posting the satirical video, Mr Al Rind has been charged with disseminating content that fails to comply with media content standards and defames Emirati society.
The influencer is accused of ‘abusing the internet’ by posting ‘propaganda that stirs up the public opinion and harms the public interest.’
Mr Al Rand asks for the most expensive car and is offered a $600,000 Ferrari SF90 by the owner
When the owner tells him he can have the Red Bull on the house, Mr Al Rind slaps more money in his hands and jokes: ‘No problem, keep the cash.’
The Federal Prosecution for Combating Rumours and Electronic Crimes has ordered his pre-trial detention.
His arrest took place after the Federal Investigations Office of the UAE Attorney General’s Office came across the comedy clip on social media.
Authorities describe Mr Al Rand as an ‘Asian national’ residing in the UAE.
The Public Prosecution has also summoned Mr Mansour – the owner of the showroom that appears in the footage.
Mr Mansour said he thought the man was an Emirati citizen.
‘He came in, he wanted to shoot a video, I said ‘yes.’ If it didn’t happen in my showroom, it probably would have happened somewhere else,’ he told The Associated Press.
‘Some people thought it was offensive, some people thought it was funny, everyone has their own opinion.’
‘I thought he understood the law,’ Mansour added.
It’s unclear when exactly Al Rind was arrested or what penalties he could face. It’s not known whether he has hired an attorney.
Just last month, a UAE resident of Arab nationality was sentenced to five years in prison and a £104,000 fine for violating hate-speech laws by posting a video ranting against men and domestic workers.
Prosecutors had ordered her arrest ‘in the context of the ‘buzz’ generated by the posting of the offending video,’ WAM reported.
The UAE is home to some of the world’s wealthiest individuals. (File image of man visiting a car showroom in Dubai)
A vaguely-worded cybercrime law enacted in January 2022 heavily restricts expression and assembly, criminalising virtually any form of political opposition and anything that could harm the reputation of the UAE or its leaders.
Fifteen human rights groups have called for the law to be repealed or amended.
Mr Al Rind, who operates his own car dealership in the UAE, has posted satirical videos before — including one that went viral in which he portrays a wealthy Emirati purchasing cars for each of his four wives — besides video tutorials on how to fix vehicles.
The UAE is home to some of the world’s wealthiest individuals, and Dubai boasts the world’s tallest skyscraper, a ski resort inside a shopping mall, and luxury neighbourhoods built on man-made islands shaped like a palm tree and the world map.
Emirati citizens, who are far outnumbered by expatriates, enjoy lavish cradle-to-grave social benefits funded by the country’s large petroleum reserves.
Some Emiratis have posted videos in recent years showing themselves making impromptu purchases of high-end cars and watches, riding thoroughbreds through the desert, and driving convertibles with cheetahs and lions in passenger seats.
But authorities are more sensitive to such portrayals by foreigners. Laws against hate speech and public incitement target anything seen as aggravating political, religious or ethnic differences in the intensely cosmopolitan country, which portrays itself as a beacon of tolerance and co-existence.
On Sunday, the Interior Ministry announced an investigation into another video featuring two men in a high-end sportscar stranded on a desert road. The video shows a female Emirati police officer arriving at the scene and assisting them by sticking a gas pump into the ground and refilling their tank.
‘In our country, no problem with gas,’ she says.
In response to Mr Al Rind’s video, the UAE Public Prosecution said in a statement: ‘The Public Prosecution for Combating Rumours and Electronic Crimes has ordered the detention of the owner of a video clip that disseminates provocative propaganda with the capacity to stir public opinion.
‘The Federal Public Prosecution for Combating Rumours and Electronic Crimes has ordered the pre-trial detention of an Asian national resident pending investigations.
‘He has been charged with several offences, including using the internet to disseminate provocative propaganda with the capacity to stir public opinion and harm public interest.
‘He is also accused of disseminating content that fails to comply with media content standards and defames Emirati society.
‘This is based on what the Federal Investigations Office of the Attorney General’s Office for the State has observed on social media platforms, specifically a recorded video clip showing the defendant wearing Emirati attire inside a luxury car showroom.
‘He is accompanied by two individuals holding what appears to be a substantial amount of money.
‘The defendant engages in a dialogue with the showroom owner, arrogantly requesting to purchase a car with a price higher than two million dirhams and distributing bundles of money to the showroom workers in a manner that reveals foolishness and a lack of appreciation for the value of money.
‘Such actions promote a false and derogatory mental image of the country’s citizens, mocking them and thereby inciting and arousing public opinion to the detriment of public interest.
‘The Public Prosecution has also ordered the summoning of the owner of the car showroom where the video clip in question was filmed.
‘The Public Prosecution urges social media users in the country to consider the legal and ethical guidelines in their dissemination of media content.
‘They should also respect the social characteristics and authentic values of the Emirati society, which are based on ethical commitment in all aspects of behaviour, in order to avoid legal consequences.’
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