A UK citizen has been sentenced to three months in jail in Dubai after “insulting” airport staff who were slow to bring his mother a wheelchair.

The unnamed man was originally issued a Dh 10,000 (£2,150) fine, but his appeal against this failed and his punishment was extended to a jail term on 6 November.

An airport employee told the court that the man swore at her after she had explained the airport’s wheelchair policy to him, telling him that “a wheelchair would be made available before boarding the bus”.

“When I tried to explain it to him, he insulted me using very bad language. I told the traveller that using such offensive language is not allowed at Dubai airport but he responded that he didn’t care.”

The employee then called the police, and a case was filed against the man in Dubai’s Criminal Court. Following an appeal, which he lost, the fine was escalated into a jail sentence, followed by immediate deportation.

  • Transporter Room 3@startrek.website
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    12
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    1 year ago

    There was a time that slavery was the custom in the US.

    I’m not saying people should go around insulting everyone all day, I’m saying that using “cultural norms” as defense for any sort of punishment is dumb.

    • 01011@monero.townOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      18
      ·
      1 year ago

      Cultural norms are factors in all legal systems, to pretend otherwise is to be (in your parlance) “dumb”.

      • Transporter Room 3@startrek.website
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        17
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 year ago

        Just because it’s normal, doesn’t make it any less fucking stupid. Your argument is literally just more “it’s just the way it is”, which is again, fucking stupid. “appeal to tradition”

        • 01011@monero.townOP
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          1
          arrow-down
          19
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          Again, that is what ALL legal systems do. Judeo-Christian “values” are what underpin legal systems in the Western world. The notion of “rights” and “privileges” stem from local tradition, they are not universal.

          It isn’t stupid to point out the truth but your inability to use civilized language is telling - it fully explains to me why you are so offended that somebody is being held to account for using impolite language for no justifiable reason.

          • Transporter Room 3@startrek.website
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            10
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            1 year ago

            Your clear sense of smug superiority is also pretty telling why you feel there’s no problem here. Real “they aren’t hurting the right people” energy. And you can’t defend your argument with anything beyond “it’s the way it is”, so resort to ad hominem. Have a nice day Bruh