Expats in Dubai have hit back at gloating trolls and insist the influencer haven is ‘absolutely fine’ despite Iran’s suicide drone bombardment across the Gulf.
Panic broke out amongst the some 240,000 Brits living in what they thought was ‘the safest city in the world’ after it was targeted by Iran’s missiles on Saturday in the aftermath of the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Internet trolls quickly turned on expats with goading comments such as ‘I’ve never been hit by an Iranian missile on my way to Asda’ and ‘suddenly Dubai isn’t a flex anymore for the wannabe Instagram influencers’.
However, Demi Calder, 28, who relocated to the Emirate three years ago believes those people are envious of Brits who made the big move to the opulent city.
‘I think they are just a bit jealous to be honest, it’s absolutely fine here at the minute,’ she told the Daily Mail.
Ms Calder said the UAE Government made an announcement today explaining that the explosions they saw and heard in the sky were all interceptions.
The expat, originally from Essex, said she first saw ‘missiles coming through the sky’ on Saturday night from the balcony of her apartment balcony in Jumeirah Village Circle.
Still, Ms Calder felt safe enough that she went to watch the races at Meydan where she saw more missiles streak across the sky before they were intercepted.
‘My family are so scared for me but I’m out still doing normal things,’ she said.
The fashion designer said people felt ‘a lot of ground shakes’ when the bombardment was at its worst, adding: ‘Every now and then you’ll hear the explosion and then the ground and the buildings will shake.’
The strikes have ‘calmed down now’ but Ms Calder said she had been told there was another one over Kite Beach in Jumeirah last night at around 2am.
But she explained that while people could see the missiles, they were actually ‘far away’ and ‘nothing has really happened close to Dubai’.
On the second day of Iran’s attacks, the expat was out shopping at Circle Mall in Jumeirah Circle Village.
She said: ‘On the Sunday when it was all happening a lot of people were sort of carrying on as normal and were going out until we all got evacuated from the Circle Mall and got alerts on our phones.
‘Everyone was getting the same alert where your phone was buzzing with a big warning message on it and everyone got evacuated down the stairs and told to go home and stay at home.’
Ms Calder decided to stay at a friend’s house for the next two nights and went to get supplies on Monday morning.
‘We rushed to the supermarket to get food to make sure we had enough stuff and the shops were getting busier and busier and busier. There were queues where everyone was panic buying,’ she said.
Since the strikes began, Ms Calder, who also works as an executive assistant at an investment management firm in Dubai, has been working from home and said most companies are telling their staff to do the same.
She added: ‘The roads are quiet, usually there’s a lot of traffic but there’s no traffic at the moment and everyone’s just working from home.’
Despite feeling safe in the city, Ms Calder acknowledged that they are in ‘uncertain times’.
She said: ‘People were scared at the time on that Saturday night.
‘People were obviously worried but everyone now is sort of just saying they’re so grateful to be in a country where they are protected and this is one of the safest countries ever and nothing is going to happen to us and all of this but obviously it is uncertain times.
‘We are not too sure what’s going to happen but everyone’s just going about their normal life.’
Chartered counselling psychologist Dr Jane Halsall, 48, whose move from London to Dubai last month with her two children Nyla and Luca was prompted by prospects of a better economy and more safety said it has been a ‘surreal and deeply human’ experience.
Her neighbours in her apartment block on the Dubai Marina were showing a ‘strong sense of solidarity’, with residents continuing to check in on one another.
She told the Mail: ‘As a psychologist living and working in Dubai, the past few days have felt surreal.
‘Watching missiles intercepted in the night sky is not something you expect to witness in what is widely regarded as one of the safest cities in the world.
‘Over the weekend, there was a very real moment of fear, a sense of helplessness that comes from sitting in uncertainty, unsure how to react or what steps to take.’
She said there is an ‘undercurrent of anxiety’ that can be ‘sensed in conversations and behaviours’ with people scanning the skies, being hypervigilant to unfamiliar sounds and checking their phones for updates.
Despite this, she said ‘clear communication from the UAE authorities has helped to steady that response’ and that advanced defence systems to intercept attacks are ‘visibly in place’.
She said: ‘Government updates have been regular and transparent, and confidential helplines and community support services are readily accessible.
‘It is reassuring that there is oversight, preparation and protection in place.
‘Personally, I can say that I feel safe here and confident that the safety of residents is a priority.
‘What has struck me most is the strength of community.
‘Dubai is a melting pot of cultures, faiths and nationalities, and in moments like this, that diversity becomes a source of resilience.
‘There is tolerance, mutual respect and a shared determination to support one another.
‘The fear is real. The uncertainty is still present. But so too is solidarity and that, psychologically, makes all the difference.’
Four people were injured when the five-star Fairmont hotel on Palm Jumeirah was set ablaze on Saturday after it was hit by an Iranian missile.
Reports confirmed debris from the missiles have so far hit major landmarks including Dubai International Airport, Burj Al Arab Hotel and Jebel Ali Port, as the air defence team works to intercept the strikes.
The Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building – was evacuated with fears it could be a target and UK tourists hid in basements while missiles flew overhead as panic spread through the city, home to more than 240,000 Britons.
Brits trapped in the UAE’s most populous city are awaiting evacuation after more than 100,000 British citizens vacationing in the hotspot registered their contact details with the Foreign Office.
People living or staying in Dubai, especially expats and influencers, have been insisting Dubai is still safe despite the attacks as they were mocked on social media for moving there because they believed it is safer than the UK.
One social media troll sneered: ‘Don’t all the lovely influencers move to Dubai because it’s so safe. I’ve never been hit by an Iranian missile on my way to Asda.’
Another wrote: ‘I don’t feel bad for any influencers or content creators that are currently stuck in Dubai. We told you to stop going there.’
A third added: ‘Suddenly Dubai isn’t a flex anymore for the wannabe Instagram influencers.’
Geordie Shore alum Vicky Pattison and former Apprentice star Luisa Zissman yesterday insisted Dubai is still ‘one of the safest places in the world’ despite entering its third day of missile strikes.
Meanwhile, model Hofit Golan and influencer Will Bailey both expressed disappointment over what was meant to be the ‘safest city in the world’.
Elsewhere, others in the city made light of the serious situation with one couple dubbed ‘pretentious’ after posting a video of themselves casually strolling through Dubai on Sunday with the caption ‘Us normally walking in Dubai, while missiles are flying in the air’.
Influencer Lauren Jarvis shared her fears over people making light of the situation on her Instagram story, writing: ‘As much as I keep seeing people say “It’s fine in Dubai, carry on as normal, it’s not as bad as it looks”. I’m sorry but it really is.
‘I had three hours sleep Saturday night because all we could hear were loud explosions that literally shake the house.
‘You look outside your bedroom window and there’s multiple missiles going over your head.’
She added that waking up with ‘your heart pounding and shaking before you’ve even opened your eyes is not “normal”.’
Former Dragons’ Den star Duncan Bannatyne yesterday sprang to the defence of British expats and influencers in Dubai.
The 77-year-old entrepreneur, who lives in Portugal, insisted the city is ‘perfectly safe’ and rowed online with critics who slammed Brits for ‘moving to Dubai to avoid paying tax…but now rely on UK taxpayers to help them in their time of need’.
The British government has drawn up plans to evacuate hundreds of thousands of Britons from the Middle East, with over 100,000 – the vast majority of which are tourists – registering their contact details with the Foreign Office.
Mr Bannatyne said most of those asking for help are not influencers or expats who live there permanently, but travellers caught up in the chaos that has seen thousands of flights cancelled and airspace closed for two days.
In a reply to one person online this morning, he said: ‘Not one Dubai resident has expressed a desire to leave as far as I know. The British that need to vacate are on holiday or on business in Dubai.’
To another, he said: ‘No matter how much you want it to be different Dubai is perfectly safe & nobody is running away from it.’
He was joined by Sam Palmer, the husband of Formula One heiress Petra Ecclestone, who asked why people have so much hate for the city and that people are ‘laughing’ at those caught in the crossfire.
Ecclestone had posted a tearful video of herself in Dubai over the weekend, in which she described Saturday as ‘one of the worst, most scary nights’ of her life.
On Monday evening, The Crown Prince of Dubai and the President of the UAE sat down for coffee in the city mall and greeted awestruck shoppers in a bid to reassure locals amid the attacks.
President Mohammed bin Zayed, 64, and Crown Prince Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, 43, were spotted at Dubai Mall located next to the Burj Khalifa in the city’s downtown area yesterday evening.
In one clip posted on social media, the pair were seen looking relaxed as they enjoyed coffee and fancy pastries with other other senior Emirati figures at café Cipriani Dolci.
Another video shows the leaders and their entourage casually strolling through the busy mall before an excited child ran over with the President immediately embracing her before posing for a beaming photo and kissing her hand.
A third clip shows a Ghanaian man approaching the President to say hello and shake his hand before praising the leader for his ‘very safe country’.
Dubai’s Media Office also posted pictures of the President and Crown Prince at the mall on their social media channels with reassuring messages.
One caption read: ‘The leadership remains close to the people’, whilst another said: ‘Close to the people. Steady in leadership.’
