A hashtag in Arabic that translates as ‘guardians of the nation,' created by Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum on his accession day to pay homage to the UAE Armed Forces, has gone viral on the social media, attracting more than 90 million viewers.
Over the six-day campaign, the hashtag drew more than 190,000 users on Twitter and over 7,000 videos and photos on the Instagram, an average of 1,000 videos a day.
The UAE citizens and expatriate residents as well as public and private organisations engaged positively and creatively in the increasingly popular campaign to pay tribute to the Armed Forces either through words, a picture, a phrase, or a video.
Dedicating his Accession Day to thank the UAE Armed Forces, Sheikh Mohammed invited through his Twitter account the whole nation to join in and show gratitude towards the UAE Armed Forces, which are part of every home, family, and institution of this great nation. He asked all individuals and organisations to share a message of thanks and support to those brave sons and daughters of the UAE. "Thank you guardians of our nation for being a shield for the UAE. Thank you for answering the call of duty and for putting the country before yourselves. Thank you for giving us your absolute dedication, time and effort, night and day," Sheikh Mohamed tweeted.
In a series of tweets, HH also shared a YouTube video dedicated to the Armed Forces, which notes the hashtag for the new campaign.
Followers of the campaign hashtag contributed over 193,000 tweets while the campaign's trendy hashtag attracted more than 17 million viewers.
It has been a custom with His Highness to dedicate his Accession Day, the 4th of January, and redirect celebrations to mark the day to instead thank members of the community who deserve recognition, asking all citizens and residents to join in and express their thanks the way they see fit. On this occasion, His Highness has launched a social media campaign to allow all to express their love and send their thanks to the Armed Forces on Twitter and Instagram using a newly created hashtag.
Source: WAM