An employee of Dubai-based Transguard Group has been deported for using social media to celebrate the deadly attacks on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, the company announced on Wednesday.
Fifty Muslim worshippers were shot dead at two Christchurch mosques on Friday last by a lone gunman – identified as an Australian extremist and avowed white supremacist.
Earlier this week, the company said it was investigating the employee – a safety and security officer – expressed his approval of the attacks and said he believed that similar attacks should be conducted at other mosques.
A Transguard investigation found that the individual had posted his views under a false name.
After verifying his identity, Transguard said that the company “apprehended him”, stripped him of his security credentials, fired him and handed him over to authorities as per company policy and the UAE’s cybercrimes laws.
According to the company, he was then deported by the government.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy for the inappropriate use of social media, and as a result this individual was immediately terminated and turned over to the authorities to face justice,” said Greg Ward, Transguard’s managing director.
In a statement, Transguard said its social media policies are enforced through regular monitoring, evaluation and, when necessary, disciplinary actions including fines, terminations and deportations as per federal law.
In recent years, a number of UAE-based employees have faced disciplinary measures from their employers after inappropriate social media posts.
Last year, a rigging supervisor in Abu Dhabi was fired after threatening to kill Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and do harm to his family.
Under the UAE’s cybercrime laws, people who post abusive content on social media can face jail time and fines of up to AED3 million.
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