DUBAI // The owner of a fitness centre who sparked outrage by using images of a Nazi concentration camp to advertise weight loss services says he will donate all revenue from this weekend's classes to a good cause.
Phil Parkinson, the British founder of Circuit Factory in Al Quoz, this week posted a series of promotional images on the internet, including a photograph of the Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp with the slogan: "Kiss your calories goodbye."
Within hours he had removed four of the 10 images and apologised.
"We have contacted a Holocaust charity in the UK, but were told they are privately funded so they are helping us to find a suitable charity we can send the money to," Mr Parkinson said yesterday.
He said the money would be donated as soon as the charity had been identified, adding: "We wanted this donation to go to people who actually need the money."
Mr Parkinson admitted that the club had experienced an increase in interest following the campaign.
"I think what happened was that people Googled our name after the story came out and when they got onto the site they saw videos of genuine people from Dubai talking about how much we have helped them. I know some people have said this was a cynical publicity stunt but that couldn't be further from the truth."
Other images posted on Tuesday and later removed included a poster depicting a toilet full of faeces, accompanied by the word "bootcamps".
Another showed men doing press-ups, with the caption: "Saving Dubai from s**t like this". Another was a poster of four scantily dressed women that proclaimed: "Are you a fat s**g? Just be a s**g."
A storm of protest erupted on Facebook and Twitter, where criticism of the images ranged from "tasteless" to "despicable".
Circuit Factory was established two years ago. It runs group exercise classes and employs five trainers.
nhanif@thenational.ae
The%20specs
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Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
FIXTURES
UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
How they line up for Sunday's Australian Grand Prix
1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
4 Max Verstappen, Red Bull
5 Kevin Magnussen, Haas
6 Romain Grosjean, Haas
7 Nico Hulkenberg, Renault
*8 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
9 Carlos Sainz, Renault
10 Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes
11 Fernando Alonso, McLaren
12 Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren
13 Sergio Perez, Force India
14 Lance Stroll, Williams
15 Esteban Ocon, Force India
16 Brendon Hartley, Toro Rosso
17 Marcus Ericsson, Sauber
18 Charles Leclerc, Sauber
19 Sergey Sirotkin, Williams
20 Pierre Gasly, Toro Rosso
* Daniel Ricciardo qualified fifth but had a three-place grid penalty for speeding in red flag conditions during practice
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
PREMIER LEAGUE STATS
Romelu Lukaku's goalscoring statistics in the Premier League
Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals
2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million