The conservative kingdom opened for tourism in 2019 but, like other Gulf countries, regularly attracts scrutiny for its human rights record, which includes outlawing homosexuality, a potential capital offence.
According to a report broadcast Tuesday evening by the state-run Al-Ekhbariya news channel, objects targeted in recent raids included rainbow-colored bows, skirts, hats and pencil cases, most of which were apparently aimed at young children. are manufactured.
“We are visiting items that are contrary to Islamic faith and public morality and promote homosexual colors targeting the younger generation,” says a commerce ministry official associated with the campaign.
رقنا الرقابية نفذ ولات لى منافذ البيع وتضبط وتصادر منتجات من رموز ودلالات دعو للشذوذ وتناسّي الفطر
— وزارة التجارة (@MCgovSA) 1655228916000
Pointing to a rainbow flag, a journalist says: “The homosexuality flag is present in one of the Riyadh Market.”
The report said the colors send a “poison message” to children.
The report did not detail how many establishments or items were seized in the commerce ministry’s operation, and Saudi officials did not respond to AFP’s request for comment on Wednesday.
Rainbows come in the form of raids Saudi Arab Makes headlines for its restrictions on films that depict or even reference sexual minorities.
In April, the state said it had asked Disney Latest to cut “LGBTQ references” from “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” miracle film, but was refused by Disney.
Saudi regulators objected to a scene in “barely 12 seconds”, in which a character refers to his “two mothers”.
An official told AFP at the time that the government was trying to work with Disney to find a solution, but the film ultimately did not show in Saudi cinemas.
Tuesday’s al-Ekhbariya report showed pictures of Benedict Cumberbatch In “Doctor Strange” and apparently alien children waving rainbow flags.
A source close to Disney told AFP on Tuesday that Disney’s latest animation “Lightyear” has also been banned in Saudi Arabia and more than a dozen other countries.
Riyadh has not commented on that film, but it has not appeared in major theaters’ upcoming attractions.
Saudi Arabia lifted a decades-long ban on all cinemas in late 2017, part of a series of social reforms led by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Who are shaking up the deeply conservative empire.
With a total revenue of $238 million in 2021, the country has seen a significant increase in movie ticket sales, a 95 percent increase over the previous year, Variety magazine reported in January.