Saudis take to social media to protest living conditions

Saudi social media users have taken to social media platforms to protest the interruption of salary payments and the rise in prices in the kingdom.

The Saudis used the hashtag “Salary is not enough” which appeared for the first time in 2013, to criticise the Saudi regime’s economic and foreign policies as well as extravagant spending, describing it as a “devourer of the country’s wealth, who squandered it in entertainment, absurdity, private items and arrogant wars”.

The social media users denounced the Saudi regime’s war in Yemen saying it had drained the kingdom’s wealth, pointing out that earlier this month the kingdom had deposited $2 billion with the Central Bank of Yemen, which should have been used to benefit Saudi citizens instead.

The users said huge sums of money had been spent to purchase private items, such as the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s acquisition of a yacht for $500 million, a painting for $450 million, and a palace in France for nearly $300 million.

The users also noted that the Chairman of the Saudi Entertainment Authority, Turki Al-Sheikh, is known for offering expensive gifts to artists and singers. These items, they argued, belong to the people of Saudi but had been seized by the ruling family and wasted in vain while locals were forced to live in poverty.

They called to raise citizens’ salaries in proportion with inflation, high prices, and taxes and provide jobs for the unemployed.

READ: Saudi Arabia vows to continue its operations in Yemen