Taroudant- Two Saudi Arabian men were arrested by the religious police after taking to the street offering free hugs to passers-by in the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom’s capital, Riyadh.

Inspired by a YouTube video, Abdulrahman al-Khayyal, 21, took to the street with his friend carrying a placard saying “free hug.”

Britain’s daily Independent reported that Abdulrahman al-Khayyal was “apparently inspired by a viral video of a campaign posted on YouTube earlier this week.”

The Saudi religious police detained the two young men for “indulging in exotic practices and offending public order.”

The two men were subsequently arrested by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (which is charged with ensuring that sharia law is strictly adhered to) for violating local laws and engaging in “exotic practices”, Al Hayat newspaper said as reported by the Independent.

The two men were arrested and their ‘free hugs’ banners seized, according to CNN Arabic.

Even though the two were reportedly required to sign a pledge that they would not offer hugs again, the campaign gained many supporters and followers on twitter.





An another tweet reads

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