The United Arab Emirates Public Prosecution has allegedly ordered the arrest of TikTok user after an arrogant and “offensive” video was posted against the country’s social media laws.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation at the Office of the State Attorney General has concluded the video displayed “sensational propaganda that would provoke public opinion and harm the public interest, and the charge of publishing content that does not meet media content standards”, according to a social media post by the UAE Prosecutor’s office.
@ace876media.ent1 😂 😂 hey you work here … go buy coffee #luxurycars #dubai #localdubai #viral #trending #azadamazon ♬ original sound – Ace876media
The video begins with alleged Asian man wearing an Emirati dress, sunglasses and a mask walking into a car dealership with two men behind them carrying a palette of dirham notes (UAE currency).
Once the man is inside the dealership, as he walks towards a female employee and asks if she wants a coffee. After she agrees, he hands her a pile of cash.
The man then walks around the dealership to the next employee which turns out to be the owner of the establishment.
The owner begins discussing the value of the cars inside the dealership with the owner. For context, the luxury car dealership has Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz, and Lamborghini vehicles, among others, on the floor.
The alleged TikToker then asks the dealership owner what the most expensive car is at the dealership. They respond asking what the alleged Tiktoker’s budget is.
The alleged TikToker then refers to the palette of cash their associates carried into the dealership as having a “small budget”.
Both pointing to a Ferrari SF90, the dealership owner explains the car is 2.2 million dirhams (AU$889,105). For reference, a brand-new SF90 Stradale in Australia currently costs $846,888 before on-roads and options.
“I need more expensive brother. I don’t need this, my driver will drive something like this,” said the alleged TikToker.
After briefly walking around the dealership the man tells the owner he will purchase an Audi R8, Ferrari SF90, Rolls-Royce Dawn, a Mercedes-AMG GLC 63 S coupe, and “a red bull”.
It’s estimated the bill could come to a whopping AU$2.1 million total using current Australian new car pricing. It’s unclear what the actual total is.
The video ends with the alleged TikToker handing the owner a small pile of cash to the dealership owner, telling them to “keep the change”.
The original video doesn’t appear to be on TikTok anymore but a handful of users have reposted the video.
It’s unclear if the video was a prank or a serious interaction. Regardless, it will still carry serious consequences.
The UAE Attorney General has also summoned the owner of the dealership in relation to the video, however there is no confirmation if the owner has or will be charged.
The social post when translated from Arabic to English states:
“The Federal Prosecution Office for Combating Rumors and Cybercrime ordered the detention of a resident of Asian nationality pending investigations, after he was charged with several charges, including using the information network to broadcast sensational propaganda that would stir up public opinion and harm public interest, and the charge of publishing content that does not comply with Media content standards offend Emirati society, based on what was monitored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the Office of the State Attorney General on social media platforms, of a video clip of the accused appearing in Emirati dress inside a luxury car showroom, followed by two people carrying a plate with what appears to be large sums of money, and he manages A dialogue with the owner of the showroom, in which he asks to buy a car that costs more than two million dirhams in an arrogant manner, and distributes financial packages to the workers in the showroom in a way that reveals foolishness and lack of appreciation for the value of money, in a way that would promote a wrong and offensive mental image of the country’s citizens and ridicule them, and then pitting opinion public and its provocation, which is detrimental to the public interest.”
A majority of commenters on the Prosector’s post are in favour of the arrest and defend the offence taken toward the Emirati community.
