‘Tim-Huthi Chalamet’: Handsome TikToker spreads Yemen rebels’ message
Gazing smoulderingly into the camera as he boards a hijacked ship, a young influencer is gaining attention as he promotes a controversial cause: Yemen’s Huthi rebels and their attacks in the Red Sea.
Rashed Al-Haddad, 19, has become a minor celebrity for his social media posts, some set to triumphant music and showing him brandishing the red, white and black flag of Yemen, with a large ceremonial dagger thrust into his belt.
Though not a member of the Iran-backed group, the telegenic TikToker with cherubic curls, who lives in the rebel-held capital Sanaa, has been dubbed ‘Tim-Huthi Chalamet’ by social media users for his resemblance to ‘Wonka’ star Timothee Chalamet.
“I received many offers to participate in fashion shows and advertisements, but I decided to take advantage of this fame for the Palestinian cause,” he told AFP.
Haddad’s profile has grown alongside the rise in international attention on war-torn Yemen after Huthi attacks on shipping – launched, the group says, in protest at Israel’s war against Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza – triggered US and British reprisal strikes.
The fresh-faced teen received millions of views for his video of a trip to the Galaxy Leader, the Israel-linked cargo ship that was captured in November and is now being paraded as a trophy of war.
He presents an alternative to the grizzled image of the Iranbacked Huthis, who seized Yemen’s capital in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year to prop up the internationally recognised government, plunging the country into a brutal war that has since resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths.
“When I started on TikTok, I posted videos of the ship (Galaxy Leader) that was seized by the Yemenis. When I posted the video clips, they reached millions of views within four days,” he said.
“After that, the account was banned (by TikTok) and deleted permanently.”