diff --git a/src/HtmlUtils.js b/src/HtmlUtils.js
index 4acb314c2f..8af1894c79 100644
--- a/src/HtmlUtils.js
+++ b/src/HtmlUtils.js
@@ -360,7 +360,7 @@ export function bodyToHtml(content, highlights, opts) {
         'mx_EventTile_bigEmoji': emojiBody,
         'markdown-body': isHtml,
     });
-    return <span className={className} dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: safeBody }} />;
+    return <span className={className} dangerouslySetInnerHTML={{ __html: safeBody }} dir="auto" />;
 }
 
 export function emojifyText(text) {