Skip to main content

Saudi police arrest 14-year-old boy for dancing the Macarena

Saudi police announce arrest on Tuesday after year-old video of boy dancing in the street is shared on social media
The 14-year-old boy dancing in the street at a crossing in Riyadh (screengrab)

Saudi police announced on Tuesday that they had arrested a 14-year-old boy who appeared in a viral video dancing on a main road in Saudi Arabia's Riyadh.

Police spokesman colonel Ati bin Atiya al-Qarshi said that the "accused" had been arrested after relevant evidence had been gathered and "confidential investigations" had been completed.  

The video appears to show the boy doing the Macarena, a mid-1990s' dance phenomenon, while standing in front of a row of cars on a crossing on Riyadh's Prince Mohamed bin Abdulaziz Road.

The boy is seen dancing in the middle of a four-lane road and appearing to stop traffic.

The video first appeared online in 2016, but was later removed.

Social media users had taken the video, which resurfaced on social media last week, in good humour.

https://twitter.com/mitchprothero/status/899058506812321792
https://twitter.com/bittersweet/status/899967352246337536
https://twitter.com/iivw_/status/899962575521185793

Translation: He's like a dancing marshmallow

As the news of his arrest was revealed, users expressed their surprise

https://twitter.com/falsaai/status/899950819839180800
https://twitter.com/KhabirM/status/899937767861370880

A couple of users agreed with his arrest

Earlier this month, a Saudi entertainer was arrested by Saudi authorities for "dabbing," a popular dance move, at a concert in the country's western city of Taif.  

This article is available in French on Middle East Eye French edition.

Stay informed with MEE's newsletters

Sign up to get the latest alerts, insights and analysis, starting with Turkey Unpacked

 
Middle East Eye delivers independent and unrivalled coverage and analysis of the Middle East, North Africa and beyond. To learn more about republishing this content and the associated fees, please fill out this form. More about MEE can be found here.