Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky star in an ad campaign for UAE tourism, and fans are not happy about it.

Chris Hemsworth and his wife Elsa Pataky have been slammed by fans over their latest ad for UAE tourism. Photo: Instagram/elsapataky

Chris Hemsworth and his wife, Elsa Pataky, have been slammed by fans over their latest work promoting Abu Dhabi tourism. The pair star in an ad for the UAE with their young family, showing it as a major tourist destination.

The ad was posted on their Instagram accounts and shows Chris and Elsa on a fake action film set, where they dangle from a height and say they could “use a vacation about now”. The pair are then seen with their family in various UAE locations, enjoying spa treatments, car rides in the desert, surfing, kayaking and theme parks.

Chris Hemsworth fans ‘gutted’ by his latest move

It didn’t take long for outraged fans to hit back at the couple, asking if they really needed money from the ad.

“Yeah nah, doesn’t pass the pub test,” one user said on Instagram. “Disappointed that you would be promoting a country that has such horrendous human rights issues, and advocating to throw money into their economy when they are culturally so misaligned with our way of life.”

“The UAE is one of the very last places on earth I’d ever go to for a vacation…” another added.

“As a queer Aussie, I’m really disappointed he is promoting a place where my wife and I would be unwelcome, where I would have to go back in the closet in order to feel safe,” a third said. “This promoting and feeding money into a dangerous, oppressive government. So many other things you could use your celebrity for.”

“A commercial for a state with few human rights?” someone else questioned.

“I’m so gutted,” yet another said. “Been a fan for so long to wake up and see this just sucks. Centr subscription cancelled and unfollowed on socials. Can’t support someone who doesn’t support me.”

“Can they put disclaimers like – not safe to travel if LGBT+,” one user said.

“How lovely. A country without women’s rights and workers’ rights. An amazing thing to promote with your huge celebrity,” another sarcastically wrote.

“Really disappointing he is promoting a country with zero equal rights,” one person said.

Chris Hemsworth supports equality

Chris with his daughter, India. Photo: Instagram/chrishemsworth
While Chris is the face the tourism ad, he has previously made his feelings on marriage equality and feminism heard.

In the lead-up to the 2017 same-şєҳ marriage plebiscite, Chris was one of many stars who spoke out on the matter, encouraging his followers on Instagram to vote Yes to marriage equality.

“Dear open-minded, free-speaking, laid-back, life-loving Aussies,” he wrote at the time. “Marriage is about love and commitment, and in a country based on equal citizenship, it should be available to everyone! Vote now for marriage equality.”

The Thor actor has also previously told RadioTimes in 2016 that he’s “for sure” a feminist.

“My mum’s a big feminist,” he said. “I think that my views on things, as far as respect for women and so on, came from my mum. My dad has a very balanced and respectful view on a lot of things too. They were huge positive influences in my life.”

UAE’s human rights issues

Chris and Elsa in the commercial. Photo: Instagram/visitabudhabi
The UAE is one of the top 10 wealthiest countries in the world and has countless laws that inhibit freedom of speech and women’s rights, and the country also continues to criminalise homoşєҳuality, among other things.

According to Human Rights Watch, there are many activists, academics, and lawyers serving long sentences in UAE prisons following unfair trials on vague and broad charges that violate their rights to free expression.

While a woman is no longer obliged to “obey” her husband in the UAE, it hasn’t improved much elsewhere. Women can be sentenced to prison for many things, including having a child outside of marriage and consensual nonmarital şєҳ.

The UAE also criminalises vaguely defined acts, allowing authorities to arrest people for things like public displays of affection, gender-nonconforming expressions and campaigning for LGBTQIA+ people.

Trans women can face fines and imprisonment for being in spaces that are for women only, but they can also be arrested in mixed-gender spaces.

Workers in the UAE also have few rights, with many low-paid migrant workers vulnerable to situations such as forced labour, passport confiscation, wage theft and more. Many workers are also exposed to the risks of extreme heat without adequate protection.