diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/helpers/dir-span.js b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/helpers/dir-span.js
index 83efafb63b..20bcd5e15c 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/helpers/dir-span.js
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/helpers/dir-span.js
@@ -13,7 +13,11 @@ function setDir(text) {
   return content;
 }
 
-export default registerUnbound("dir-span", function (str, escapeText = true) {
-  let text = escapeText ? escapeExpression(str) : str;
+export default registerUnbound("dir-span", function (str, params = {}) {
+  let isHtmlSafe = false;
+  if (params.htmlSafe) {
+    isHtmlSafe = params.htmlSafe;
+  }
+  let text = isHtmlSafe ? str : escapeExpression(str);
   return htmlSafe(setDir(text));
 });
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/parent-category-row.hbs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/parent-category-row.hbs
index b6145eb7ca..3c82c0b60e 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/parent-category-row.hbs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/parent-category-row.hbs
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@
       {{category-title-link category=category}}
       {{#if category.description_excerpt}}
         <div class="category-description">
-          {{dir-span category.description_excerpt false}}
+          {{dir-span category.description_excerpt htmlSafe=true}}
         </div>
       {{/if}}
       {{#if category.isGrandParent}}
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/sub-category-row.hbs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/sub-category-row.hbs
index 44c142d569..6a0e30f75e 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/sub-category-row.hbs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/components/sub-category-row.hbs
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
       {{category-title-link tagName="h4" category=category}}
       {{#if category.description_excerpt}}
         <div class="category-description subcategory-description">
-          {{dir-span category.description_excerpt false}}
+          {{dir-span category.description_excerpt htmlSafe=true}}
         </div>
       {{/if}}
       {{#if category.subcategories}}
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/list/topic-excerpt.hbr b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/list/topic-excerpt.hbr
index 08d8256c27..65114cef21 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/list/topic-excerpt.hbr
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/list/topic-excerpt.hbr
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {{#if topic.hasExcerpt}}
   <a href="{{topic.url}}" class="topic-excerpt">
-    {{dir-span topic.escapedExcerpt false}}
+    {{dir-span topic.escapedExcerpt htmlSafe=true}}
     {{#if topic.excerptTruncated}}
       <span class="topic-excerpt-more">{{i18n 'read_more'}}</span>
     {{/if}}
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/navigation/category.hbs b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/navigation/category.hbs
index 1de494920d..e1f69c1008 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/navigation/category.hbs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/app/templates/navigation/category.hbs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
     }}
 
     {{#if category.description}}
-      <p>{{dir-span category.description false}}</p>
+      <p>{{dir-span category.description htmlSafe=true}}</p>
     {{/if}}
   {{/if}}
 
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/select-kit/addon/templates/components/category-row.hbs b/app/assets/javascripts/select-kit/addon/templates/components/category-row.hbs
index 77795727da..a21bf862e7 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/select-kit/addon/templates/components/category-row.hbs
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/select-kit/addon/templates/components/category-row.hbs
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@
   </div>
 
   {{#if shouldDisplayDescription}}
-    <div class="category-desc" aria-hidden="true">{{dir-span description false}}</div>
+    <div class="category-desc" aria-hidden="true">{{dir-span description htmlSafe=true}}</div>
   {{/if}}
 {{else}}
   {{html-safe label}}