Saudi Arabia arrests 14-year-old boy for dancing to ‘Macarena’ on a street in Jeddah
The teenager is accused of ‘improper public behaviour’, though it is unclear whether he will be formally charged.
The Saudi Arabian Police have arrested a teenager for dancing to the 1990s’ pop hit “Macarena” on a street in Jeddah. The 14-year-old was accused of “improper public behaviour”, and the Mecca Police said he had also disrupted traffic. It is unclear whether he will be formally charged, The Telegraph reported on Tuesday.
In a 45-second clip shared widely on social media, the boy can be seen stopping midway while crossing the road and breaking into the popular “Macarena” dance routine.
Although the footage is believed to have been from July 2016, the teen’s arrest was reported on Monday.
Jeddah boy dancing in the middle of Tahlia Street is the hero we need pic.twitter.com/fui9v2UuDF
— Ahmed Al Omran (@ahmed) August 19, 2017
The country does not have a codified penal law, which gives officials and judges the right to arrest and punish children, according to BBC.
On July 18, Saudi Arabian authorities had arrested, and later released, a woman after she appeared in a Snapchat clip in a miniskirt and crop top.