Influencers have mocked Brits for fleeing Dubai (Image: Getty)
Dubai-based influencers have sparked backlash online after criticising Britons who fled the city during the escalating conflict involving Iran, branding those who left as “ungrateful” and “brokies”.
The controversy comes as more than 63,000 Britons have returned to the UK from the region since tensions in the Middle East intensified, according to government figures. Several social media personalities living in Dubai have posted videos defending life in the Gulf city despite the threat of attacks linked to the conflict with Iran.
READ MORE: Dubai fears as Iran tells people in 3 UAE areas ‘leave now to save your life’
READ MORE: ‘I was scared I was risking my baby’s life trying to get out of Dubai’
Influencer Mitchell Armstrong (Image: itsmitchellarmstrong/TikTok)
Influencer Mitchell Armstrong told followers on TikTok that his lifestyle had not changed despite the crisis and suggested those who stayed in the city had continued to profit during the turmoil. Filming from his balcony overlooking the skyline, he mocked people who had fled the emirate.
“Like nothing has changed for me,” he said in the video. “While you guys were all running around acting like brokies, ‘oh my god there’s bombs, let’s get out of Dubai’, all the rich guys making money either profited off the war or made more money because we are more locked in.”
Armstrong, who said he lives in a 2.1 million dollar apartment, filmed himself relaxing by a pool and using the sauna while claiming that several people who left the city were now attempting to return.
“Look at this, nothing changed,” he said, panning the camera across the city. “No bombs, no crackles, no nothing. All my boys have been messaging me saying they’re thinking of coming back. Why did you leave then?”
Another Dubai based influencer known as Soudi also criticised those who left the United Arab Emirates, saying she believed they were “very ungrateful”.
Soudi called the people leaving ‘ungrateful’ (Image: soudiofarabia/TikTok)
“As you can see it is very quiet and peaceful in Dubai at the moment, but for those people who want to leave, let them leave,” she said in a video that has attracted tens of thousands of views. “I just think they are very ungrateful.”
She added that many long term residents had remained in the city and mocked those returning to their home countries. “Why are people coming back from Dubai acting like they actually fought in the war?” she said. “Do you guys see anything going on here? I don’t think so.”
The online debate comes as authorities in the United Arab Emirates say they have intercepted hundreds of missiles and drones during the conflict. The UAE Ministry of Defence said that 285 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,567 drones launched from Iran had been intercepted so far.
Dubai has reportedly been targeted several times in recent weeks, including strikes near its airports and financial district, with videos circulating online showing plumes of smoke rising above parts of the skyline.
Authorities have also moved to clamp down on online activity during the conflict. Police in Abu Dhabi said 45 people of various nationalities had been arrested for spreading misinformation and filming locations linked to alleged attacks.
Meanwhile, some wealthy Britons leaving the Gulf are reportedly heading to countries such as Ireland and France rather than returning directly to the UK in order to avoid triggering tax liabilities with HM Revenue and Customs. Advisors say many expatriates have already spent the number of days allowed in Britain without becoming liable for tax, leading some to seek temporary alternatives elsewhere as the conflict continues.
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