Buraidah Al-Qasim Turns into a Military Point After Demonstrations Erupted

Thousands of young Saudis are angry due to the economic policies which increased unemployment and poverty in Saudi Arabia. Demonstrations rejecting tax increase and the imposition of quarantine without providing an alternative source of income in the oil-rich country.

İn response to the ever-deteriorating situation, hundreds of young men in the city of Buraidah, Qassim, responded to the calls for demonstrations to stand against the kingdom of fear and the security forces.

Security forced attacked dozens of demonstrators and arrested others, and the streets are still witnessing desertion between angry protesters and security forces.

High-level security instructions were issued to bin Salman’s media to avoid mentioning the Buraidah demonstrations, while activists called for breaking the media blockade “To save the lives of hundreds of young men, who broke the barrier of fear and filled the streets.” via the hashtag #Support_Buraidah_demonstrations

Perceptible demonstrations

For the first time in Buraidah, an angry demonstration with hundreds of youths gathered d and filled the streets, rejecting the difficult living conditions. The National Guard police were alert, fearing the escalation of unrest, protests, and confrontations, according to Saudi sources.

The security system in the KSA, which is not used to such demonstrations, began a campaign of arrests with cruelty, and clashes between citizens and the police forces erupted.

Al-Qasim police acknowledged these demonstrations after social media had pictures and videos everywhere of the demonstrations. The police spokesman, Badr Al-Suhaibani, confirmed the arrest of a number of demonstrators for refusing to cooperate with the security men and in compliance with the authorities’ orders to disperse a gathering that violated the allowed number of gatherings.

People demonstrated against the poverty of the citizens of an oil-rich country, the richest between Arab countries, which has the second-largest oil reserves in the world, but Riyadh’s economic policies have brought the country to a state of deficit in the new budget exceeding thirty-seven billion dollars, and a public debt of nearly two hundred and fifty billion dollars.

The richest and poorest in the Gulf

Saudi Arabia, rich in oil, has foreign exchange reserves exceeding $ 500 billion, which is the largest in the Arab region. It is also the largest exporter of oil in the world. However, it is the poorest of the Gulf countries. According to unofficial statistics, poverty reached a rate of about 25%, while the unemployment rate among Saudis is 12.8%, according to government statistics.

The Saudis have been suffering from a significant increase in the prices of goods and services during the recent period, and recent data from the Statistical Center of the Gulf States showed that the inflation rate in the GCC countries increased by 3.7% last December on an annual basis, and the data confirmed that Saudi Arabia was on top of the list in this regard.

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