14-year-old boy arrested for dancing on the street in conservative Saudi Arabia

In a weird incident, the Saudi Police have arrested a teenager who was filmed dancing on a street crossing in the city of Jeddah. In the video clip, the 14-year-old teenager was seen dancing to the 1990s hit song Macarena, and went viral on social media.

The boy dancing on a street crossing in the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Photo courtesy: Twitter
The boy dancing on a street crossing in the city of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Photo courtesy: Twitter

The boy, whose name and nationality were not given, was questioned on charges of showing ‘improper public behaviour’ and disruption of traffic, a statement from Mecca police said.

The video clip shows the boy, wearing a striped T-shirt, grey sports shorts and brightly coloured shoes, walking to the middle of a crosswalk. He then starts dancing to the catchy tune in front of five lanes of cars stopped at a traffic light.

https://twitter.com/ahmed/status/899024462401503232

Dancing has been banned in conservative Saudi Arabia. The National Committee for Drug Control has banned dancing in the country on the grounds that it advocates or encourages drug abuse.

Earlier this month, police arrested and released a Saudi singer for using the 'dab' move in an onstage dance. Abdallah al-Shahani appeared in a viral video performing the dance at a music festival in the city of Taif in southwestern Saudi Arabia.