Saudi activists have announced on Saturday the launch of an unprecedented campaign on social media calling for a boycott of Mohammed bin Salman, the crown prince and de facto ruler in the kingdom.
The campaign is to be launched this evening under the hashtag #BoycottMBS, and comes as an expression of widespread popular anger in the Kingdom over the crown prince’s crimes and violations of human rights.
Mohammed bin Salman, who is known for his repressive and reckless rule, has monopolised 34 positions of power, consolidating the severity of his authoritarianism and his dictatorial approach.
Observers describe the years of the nominal rule of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and his son, Mohammed, from 2015 until now, as “the most difficult for the kingdom since its founding.”
The Kingdom’s status has declined over the past years, due to its war against its neighbour, Yemen and the killing of opposition journalist Jamal Khashoggi, in addition to a campaign of repressive arrests against princes, sheikhs and academics, the failure of planned economic and development projects, the high rate of unemployment, rising poverty and the public indebtedness of the Saudi budget.
