Authorities in Saudi Arabia have seized any rainbow-coloured toys and clothing for promoting homosexuality, according to Saudi state TV.
The seize happened in capital Riyadh, where a report by Al-Ekhbariya showed commerce ministry officials removing an arrange of items from shops.
Items targeted in the recent raids include rainbow-coloured bows, skirts, hats and pencil cases, most of them apparently manufactured for young children.
"We are giving a tour of the items that contradict the Islamic faith and public morals and promote homosexual colours targeting the younger generation," said an official from the commerce ministry, which is involved in the campaign.
Saudi Arabia opened up to tourism in 2019 but, like other Gulf countries, regularly attracts scrutiny for its human rights record, including its outlawing of homosexuality, a potential capital offence.
The amount of establishments targeted or items seized in the Commerce Ministry operation is unclear, and Saudi officials did not respond to an AFP request for comment.
The rainbow raids come as Saudi Arabia gains headlines for restrictions on films that depict, or even refer to, sexual minorities.
In April, the kingdom said it had asked Disney to cut "LGBTQ references" from the Marvel movie Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but that Disney had refused.
Saudi regulators objected to a scene that amounted to "barely 12 seconds", in which one character refers to her two mothers.
An official told AFP at the time that the government was trying to work with Disney to find a solution but, ultimately, the film did not screen in Saudi cinemas.
Disney's latest animation film, Lightyear, which features a same-sex kiss, has also been banned in Saudi Arabia and more than a dozen other countries, a source close to Disney told AFP.
Riyadh has not commented on that film, but it has not appeared in the coming attractions of major cinemas.
Saudi Arabia lifted a decades-long ban on all cinemas in late 2017, part of a series of social reforms spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that are shaking up the deeply conservative kingdom.
The country has since seen significant growth in movie ticket sales, with revenues totalling $238 million in 2021, a 95 per cent increase from the previous year, Variety magazine reported in January.
AFP/ABC
