https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/mohammed-bin-salman-s-ruthless-attempt-to-build-his-pyramids-has-sparked-unprecedented-backlash-from-saudis/ar-AAUGYhD
Mohammed bin Salman's ruthless attempt to 'build his pyramids' has sparked unprecedented backlash from Saudis
insider@insider.com (Abdullah Alaoudh) - 2h ago
In December, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced a $20 billion development project in the city of Jeddah.
The plan involves the demolition of homes, mosques, and entire neighborhoods in Saudi Arabia's second-largest city.
Local resistance to the project has been unexpected and extraordinary.
In December 2021, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) announced his plans for "Jeddah Central," a $20 billion development project in Saudi Arabia's second largest city.
While it's not surprising that this project, the latest component of MBS's Vision 2030 economic blueprint, came at the expense of families living in these Jeddah neighborhoods, the local resistance to this project has been unexpected and extraordinary.
The demolition of homes, mosques, and entire neighborhoods in Jeddah, a city populated by almost 4.5 million people, marks a new phase in the exploitation of middle and working-class Saudis who have been economically disenfranchised by MBS's policies.
The most recent example is the regime's unprecedented 15% tax hike and austerity measures. The Jeddah project and the instability it is causing is a near perfect example of MBS's style of rule: recklessly implementing an ambitious project with total disregard to the human cost.
Quickly following the announcement, locals decried MBS's plans on Twitter, using the hashtag #HadadJeddah (Jeddah Demolition) to object to the destruction of their neighborhoods and their displacement.
In a country where a single tweet can result in the state disappearing you for years, the hashtag trended Twitter for days. And in an even rarer display of resistance, the neighborhoods of central Jeddah witnessed public displays of graffiti rejecting the government narrative and calling for justice.