Pietro Boselli, an Italian model, took to Instagram to address the backlash that he and other social media influencers have experienced following their attendance of MDL Beast music festival in Saudi Arabia last week.

Since the festival ended, some influencers have spoken out against the criticism leveled at them for attending. “Unfortunately, I got back and found a bunch of blanket of unilateral accusations against me and other influencers who went there, who apparently sold out to some evil country,” Boselli said in a video posted to his Instagram page.

He called these accusations “utter nonsense,” adding that, “the way that Saudi is portrayed by the Western mainstream media is extremely negatively biased.”

“People in Saudi believe in peace, happiness and in freedom, just as much as we all do, and they deserve not to be isolated or stereotyped by Westerners who haven’t even been there,” he said.

Boselli is the latest influencer to voice his opinion on the criticisms that visitors to MDL Beast received.

“It’s changing moron. Have you been? I’d love to take any woman important to me,” said actor Ryan Phillippe, who also attended MDL Beast, in response to a commenter on Instagram.

“This was a cultural shift for the Middle East, not just KSA. It was historic,” he said in another post.

MDL Beast, the region’s largest music and cultural festival, was held in Riyadh last week and drew over 400,000 attendees over three days – a significant bump in numbers compared to previous festivals.

The prolific rise in festivals, in tandem with growing visitor numbers, is a reflection of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals which seek to grow and diversify the country’s economy away from oil.

Turki Al Al-Sheikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), said in a statement that the kingdom hopes to see more “cultural, artistic, and entertainment experiences brought in (with) great scale and color to this wonderful country that is rich with legacy, culture, and capabilities, as we open ourselves up further to the world and invite others to come in and experience what Saudi Arabia has to offer.”

Last Update: Wednesday, 20 May 2020 KSA 09:56 - GMT 06:56