Saudi authorities are confiscating rainbow-colored toys and articles of clothing from shops in the capital as part of a crackdown on homosexuality, state media reported.
According to a report broadcast by the state-run Al-Ekhbariya news channel on Tuesday evening, the targeted items included rainbow-colored bows, skirts, hats and pencil cases, mostly manufactured for young children.
“We are visiting items that are contrary to Islamic faith and public morality and promote homosexual colors targeting the younger generation,” says a commerce ministry official associated with the campaign.
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Pointing to a rainbow flag, a journalist says: “The homosexuality flag is present in one of the markets in Riyadh.”
The report said the colors send a “poison message” to children.
Homosexuality is a potentially capital crime in Saudi Arabia, which is known for its strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law that forms the basis of its entire judicial system.
In April, the state said it had asked Disney to cut “LGBTQ references” from the latest Marvel film “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” but Disney refused.
The film eventually did not screen in Saudi cinemas.
Disney’s latest animation “Lightear”, which features a same-sex kiss, has also been banned in Saudi Arabia and more than a dozen other countries, a source close to Disney told AFP on Tuesday, though Riyadh said that There is no comment on the film.
Tuesday’s al-Ekhbariya report also showed pictures of Benedict Cumberbatch in “Doctor Strange” and apparently foreign children waving rainbow flags.
The report did not detail how many installations or items were seized in the commerce ministry’s operation, and Saudi officials did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment on Wednesday.