Since the war in the Middle East, characterized by an escalation between Iran, Israel, and the United States, many influencers based in Dubai are sharply criticized on social networks after requests for express repatriation following bombings on the city, often described as the queen of tax evasion.
For several years now, many influencers, notably from reality TV, have settled in Dubai. If the sun, security and the quest for tranquility (compared to a notoriety that is difficult to control on a daily basis in France) are not to be questioned, the taxation of the emirate remains a significant variable. No income tax, very low corporate tax rate, VAT much lower than in France… A true tax haven, Dubai has thus become the headquarters of many content creators.
Maeva Ghennam raises controversy
Weekend on a yacht, gourmet restaurants, prestigious private schools, huge villa with swimming pool, house staff… For influencers, life in Dubai seems as luxurious and tranquil as possible. And few of them hide from this privileged lifestyle, even criticizing all the disadvantages of living in France, their country of origin. But since Iran targeted Gulf states in retaliation for the US-Israeli attacks, the discourse has changed significantly.
Some influencers have sparked a big controversy with clumsy sentences. Notably Maeva Ghennam, known for her participations in the reality show Les Marseillais. Accustomed to Snapchat stories and Instagram and TikTok videos where she exhibits her daily life and makes numerous product placements with her French-speaking audience, she filmed the missiles visible in the sky of Dubai from her terrace at the beginning of the war. Oh my God, there is a missile over my house,” she explained, panicked and frightened, in story.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
Shortly after, we saw her, passport in the bra, calling the French State: “France, protect us… We are French.” Her request to be repatriated made internet users even more grate as she has a ban on leaving the Emirates (“travel ban”) due to a local court case. A few days ago, the influencer indicated again in a video ‘not being able to sleep’, followed by another story where she communicated about a product with a promo code.
Content that did not fail to make the public react. Many comments accuse Maeva Ghennam of being hypocritical, she who has always praised life in Dubai, claiming that she would never return to live in France. On Instagram, the influencer Bastos notably reacted: “Well, now you manage and if you want to come back, you pay.” On the set of Cyril Hanouna, he reinforced his speech by mentioning: “This affair made me laugh […] It says: ‘I pay taxes’. We know that she left an old company almost dead in France on which she pays a bit of taxes for the company, but the majority of her taxes, which should be paid, are income taxes. Her income, she gets them there […] it’s the big scam.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
The YouTuber Tibo Inshape, without naming any names, also laughed at this situation: “The influencers from Dubai, after all, we are indeed in France, aren’t we?” while denouncing the fiscal hypocrisy of these latter.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
Many comments go in this direction, mocking some ultra-rich influencers who voluntarily left France to ask for help. That they stay in Dubai”, “we hope the tax department is waiting for them”, “when everything goes well you criticize France, but when things go wrong, you call France”… Some messages were still more nuanced: “She is afraid, it’s normal”, “no matter where we live, a French citizen can ask for help” or even “stop making fun of yourself, it’s a dangerous situation”.
The other influencers
The controversy took on another dimension when Maeva Ghennam announced that she had been summoned by the police in Dubai. According to several media outlets, this convocation is linked to some of his speeches on social networks regarding tensions in the region. In the United Arab Emirates, the laws governing public expression and the dissemination of online information are particularly strict: filming sensitive installations, broadcasting images of attacks or relaying certain information on national security can be considered an offense. The influencer explained in a video that she “did not want to do something wrong”, claiming to have simply shared her fear of the situation.
Maeva Ghennam is not the only French personality living in Dubai to have been dragged into the controversy. Nabilla, followed by several million subscribers, took the defense of expatriates settled in the emirate by reminding that fear in the face of bombings was a human reaction.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
Others chose to be discreet and to pack their bags quickly. Maddy Burciaga and Benjamin Samat, Laura Lempicka and the Tanti family (vacationing in Bali at that time) left the country. Recently separated, Jessica Thivenin and Thibault Garcia still live in Dubai with their children, as do Jazz and Laurent Correia. During the rising tensions, they continued to publish content on their networks, between outings to the beach, to restaurants and at the beautician’s, and of course product promotion.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
On another level, it is the contrast between the luxury images broadcast daily by these influencers and the reality of war in the region that sparked outrage. Between evenings in beach clubs, yacht trips or shopping sessions in luxury malls, some creators continued to publish their usual content while the security situation worried part of the population. For many internet users, this gap illustrates a form of disconnection, even insensitivity to a conflict that directly affects several countries in the Middle East.
Read also : The Jeffrey Epstein case: the fall from grace of former Prince Andrew
Featured photo : Instagram
