Saudi Arabia man arrested over 'racial harassment' of K-pop band ATEEZ
K-pop group ATEEZ were in Saudi Arabia over the weekend to perform as part of the KCON festival in the capital Riyadh, where they were allegedly subjected to harassment by a man who was subsequently arrested.
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K-pop group ATEEZ performed in Saudi Arabia over the weekend as part of the KCON festival, in Riyadh [Getty]
A man in Saudi Arabia was arrested on Sunday after he allegedly harassed and made racially offensive remarks toward the Korean music group ATEEZ.
The K-pop band was in the capital Riyadh over the weekend to perform at Saudi Arabia's first-ever KCON festival, celebrating Korean music.
According to authorities, the man - whose name was not revealed - uttered phrases during the band's arrival which would "offend public morals".
In a video posted on his TikTok page, a man can be heard allegedly harassing the band in English and yelling "f*** you" as well as seemingly teasing fans who were waiting for the group saying: "do you want to get in the car with [them]?"
this racist disrespected them, he insulted and made fun of them, this is absolutely awful. atinys please report his tiktok, here’s the link
— Nina hj muse (@bya_nina) October 1, 2022
🔗 https://t.co/1lckUo3Prf https://t.co/bgCnZqJ8bq
The video was later deleted from the man’s TikTok page but it had already been widely circulated on social media.
The group did not respond to the man's comments and made their way into a car.
A statement published by the public prosecutor said that a security patrol in the Riyadh region had arrested a person for "uttering phrases that would prejudice public morals against a group participating in an event in the city of Riyadh".
“the security authorities arrested a citizen who uttered phrases that would prejudice public morals, during the arrival of a korean band (ATEEZ) to participate in an event in Riyadh” https://t.co/0pBZIGZ83x pic.twitter.com/NSUdU0nVJu
— lika ✶ (@H0NGLOVER) October 2, 2022
Fans of the ATEEZ, who burst onto the K-pop scene in 2018, mobilised to report the video and the man to the relevant authorities in tweets seen on social media.
The group participated in Saudi Arabia's first-ever KCON festival alongside 14 other K-pop bands at The Boulevard Riyadh City between 30 September and 1 October.
The convention, which showcases performances by K-pop groups and exhibitions on Korean culture and entertainment, is held annually across different cities around the world.
The festival held its first convention in the Arab world in the UAE, back in 2016.
Follow the Middle East's top stories in English at The New Arab on Google News
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