Iran strikes send VIP Dubai influencers ‘back to reality’
Since the early hours of Saturday, foreigners in the United Arab Emirates have been sharing videos of clouds of smoke rising above skyscrapers and expressing shock that their usual haven of stability is under attack.
“MY GOD!” Israeli wellness influencer Hofit Golan screams repeatedly in a video that shows a building near his home in flames.
British content creator Will Bailey was updating his Instagram and TikTok followers by filming the smoke trails left by missiles and interceptor rockets on Dubai’s skyline.
“This place was a few feet away from us,” he says in a video shot near the Fairmont hotel, which was struck Saturday.
Other influencers were less calm; French Maeva Ghennam, waving her passport, told viewers she “screamed hysterically” when she heard a strike.
“France, protect us!” he said. Ghennam, who rose to fame through reality television. Some viewers criticized the “glamorous world’s” “total disconnect” from the geopolitical realities of the Middle East, where Iran is retaliating for a massive wave of US-Israeli attacks.
“We are seeing a ‘back to reality’ moment for influencers settling in Dubai,” according to journalist Emma Ferey, whose 2024 novel “Emirage” chronicles the Emirati capital’s influencer scene.
According to Ferey, in this “underinformed world…everything seems easy”.
Now “the bubble is starting to burst,” he said.
-‘We’re talking politics’-
On Sunday, the French embassy in the UAE reiterated to its citizens in the country that it is not possible to leave the country as Emirati airspace remains closed until further notice.
French citizens there were urged to “strictly comply with the safety instructions: stay at home (and) stay away from windows, doors and open areas.”
Dubai has become a hive of influencers, entrepreneurs and millionaires in recent years, attracted by the business-friendly and income-tax-free city and the luxurious lifestyles on offer.
The city, where approximately 4 million people live, 90 percent of whom are foreigners, also hosts one of the busiest airports in the world.
Apparently shot Saturday, officials said four staff members were injured and the concourse was damaged during “an incident.”
Real estate agent Deepti Mallik told viewers in a reassuring tone that there was “nothing to fear” in the video, which was posted on a beach full of sunbathers on Saturday.
“I feel like this country takes the safety of its residents and tourists very seriously,” he said.
“You can sense the anxiety among influencers, even though they know full well that talking about politics, or worse geopolitics, means risking losing followers or being subjected to a wave of harassment,” Ferey said.
According to the journalist, creators are “contractually bound” to brands, which obliges them to keep posting no matter what.
“The video needs to be released, even if it’s just for the shampoo. In the public eye, this disconnect may seem unseemly; continuing to make money while the world burns.”
French phenomenon Benjamin Samat, who lives in Dubai, reacted to “those on social media who are happy that the French are going through this situation” on Instagram.
Samat added that he did not want “anyone to wake up to missiles exploding in the sky in the middle of the night.”
