Following recent unrest and clashes in France, an old video of remarks by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, has again gained attention on social media. In the video, he warns of the spread of extremism and terrorism in European countries.

The remarks date back to May 2017, when Sheikh Abdullah spoke at the Tweeps 2017 social media forum in Riyadh. Attended by then-Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir, the event featured a discussion on the threat of extremism and European countries’ failure to confront it.

Speaking in English, the UAE Foreign Minister said: “There will come a day when we will see far more radical extremists and terrorists coming out of Europe because of a lack of decision-making, trying to be politically correct, or assuming that they know the Middle East, Islam and others far better than we do.” He concluded: “I’m sorry, but that’s pure ignorance.”

The video has previously resurfaced on social media several times. In April 2024, after it was again widely shared, Sheikh Abdullah responded briefly: “I told you so.” Elon Musk also reposted the video at the time, writing of the UAE Foreign Minister: “He knows what he is talking about.”

According to Al Ittihad newspaper, the video has been viewed more than 150 million times.