Dancing in Saudi Arabia has >caused trouble numerous times in the past. And an incident earlier this week was no different.
Authorities in the Saudi city of Unaizah arrested two men for dancing in the busy streets while waiting on a red traffic light. The men were caught after a video of them with several friends joining the little party went viral online.
According to Sabq news site, police were able to track down the men after launching an investigation and identifying their car plate numbers. Officers continue to search for the remaining men who were involved in the incident.
The viral clip and subsequent arrests sparked controversy on Saudi Twitter.
Many deemed the men's behavior "inappropriate" and hailed authorities for arresting them. However, others thought the incident was blown out of proportion.
Here's a little of what people had to say on the matter:
"A highway is for the public and isn't a place for violators"
"Where's the respect for public morals? Where's the respect for the law? This kind of behavior is a violation that must be prevented and punished. People must respect their limits in public."
"People have gone crazy"
"What they did was shameless, they deserve what they got"
Now, many people weren't capable of wrapping their minds around the story
"Imagine being arrested and charged for dancing."
Some just thought the incident was blown out of proportion
"What's so wrong with this?"
Not the first time a similar arrest takes place in the kingdom
Cracking down on public dancing isn't exactly out of the ordinary in Saudi Arabia.
In 2018, a Saudi man and woman were >arrested after a video of them dancing in an Abha street went viral on social media.
In that same year, a Saudi woman >was detained after taking part in the Kiki challenge, which consists of people jumping out of moving cars and dancing to Canadian rapper Drake's song In My Feelings.
In 2017, Jeddah police arrested a teenager who did the Macarena at the center of a local crosswalk. The young boy was later released with a warning.
Weeks before the Macarena incident, a Saudi singer was arrested >after performing a dab in a live concert.
At the time, Saudi Arabia's National Committee for Combating Drugs warned people >against the simple dance, in which a person drops their head into the bent crook of a slanted arm, while raising the opposite arm in a parallel direction out straight. Officials believe that dabbing represents the act of sniffing drugs.