(Riyadh) Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbors have asked Netflix to remove content deemed “contrary to Islamic and societal values”, threatening the subscription video-on-demand platform with legal action, according to a statement released on Tuesday.
Updated yesterday at 2:56 p.m.
The joint statement from the telecommunications police of Saudi Arabia and the other five members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) does not specify the nature of the content deemed offensive.
“The platform has been contacted to remove this content, especially those intended for children,” the statement said.
The authorities will ensure “that the directives are respected by the platform and, if illegal content continues to be disseminated, they will take the necessary legal measures”, he warns.
Netflix did not react immediately.
Saudi media were more explicit about content deemed offensive in the statement from GCC countries, citing films featuring LGBTQ characters.
The state channel Al-Ekhbariya denounced “films and series for children containing scenes promoting homosexuality via Netflix”.
In a live interview, a lawyer lamented “very inappropriate and painful scenes for our children, our grandchildren and the future generation. »
In a separate section, the Al-Ekhbariya channel showed scenes from the animated film Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous in which two female characters, whose faces have been blurred, kiss each other.
Interviewed by the channel, a person presenting himself as a “family affairs and education adviser”, deplores that offensive content “is entering our homes” and that the country is facing “a censorship crisis”.
Under the leadership of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia has opened up to entertainment and major world events, but political and social restrictions remain very strong. In 2017, authorities lifted the cinema ban.
In April, Saudi Arabia asked Disney to remove “LGBTQ references” from Marvel’s film, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessin order to authorize its projection in the rooms of the ultraconservative kingdom.
Disney did not comply and the film was not screened in Arabia.
Gender and sexual freedom issues are still very taboo in many Arab countries, especially the Gulf monarchies.
In June, the United Arab Emirates banned the animated film from Pixar Studios, Buzz Lightningwhich contains a fleeting kiss scene between two women living together.