Saudi Kid Arrested After Dancing to an Old Hit

It was the 'Macarena,' and he did it on a public street
By Linda Hervieux,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 23, 2017 10:10 AM CDT
Teen Dances to 'Macarena,' Saudi Cops Arrest Him
People are weighing in on Twitter.   (Twitter)

Doing the "Macarena" in traffic is a no-no in Saudi Arabia. That's what one hip-swirling teen learned after being caught on a video since gone viral, jamming to the hit tune from the mid-'90s. Saudi police said they arrested the 14-year-old on Tuesday for "improper public behavior" after he busted a few moves to the Spanish song in the middle of a Jeddah intersection, Reuters reports. In the 45-second clip, the Ricky Martin wannabe, wearing headphones, Nike shorts, and Crocs, performs for several lanes of cars stopped at a light. The clip first appeared online in 2016 but was later removed, the Middle East Eye notes, via the New York Post. It reappeared last week, apparently attracting the eye of authorities.

Arab News reports cops detained the boy after analyzing the video, and they'll decide after questioning him whether to refer the matter to prosecutors. Saudis flocked to social media to weigh in on the spectacle. While some found it "discourteous," others say cops should back off. "He is just a kid who wanted to enjoy his time. Don't make a big fuss about it," someone tweeted. It's not the first time a Saudi singer has broken the rules in the strict religious state. Cops there this month arrested a singer for doing the "dab"—touching his face to his bent elbow—onstage at a music festival, per Reuters. The move is banned because it's said to encourage drug use. (Saudi cops freed a young woman who appeared in a viral miniskirt video.)

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