Saudi Arabia: Demonstrations won’t be tolerated
Demonstrations won’t be tolerated in Saudi Arabia and its security forces will act against anyone taking part in them, the Interior Ministry said Saturday, a day after about 100 members of the Shiite minority staged a protest in an eastern region of the kingdom.
The warning was another attempt by Saudi Arabia to get ahead of the unrest that has swept the Arab world in recent months. Last week, the government announced an unprecedented economic package worth an estimated $36 billion that will give Saudis interest-free home loans, unemployment assistance and debt forgiveness.
The Interior Ministry statement said the kingdom bans all demonstrations because they contradict Islamic laws and society’s values, adding that some people have tried to go around the law to “achieve illegitimate aims.”
Security forces were authorized to act against anyone violating the ban, the statement said.