Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — Prince Khalid Bin Bandar, Emir of Riyadh, has formed a committee to investigate a series of violent incidents that occurred on Friday evening at the Janadriyah festival between members of the National Guard and officials from the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (Haia) assigned to work at the festival. A Haia member reportedly stormed the Emirati pavilion while a show was taking place there and there were also reports of scuffles between the National Guard soldiers and Haia officials. A spokesman for the Emir said the committee would be chaired by the undersecretary for security affairs at the Emir's office and will comprise members of the National Guard, Haia, the Bureau of Investigation and Public Prosecution and Riyadh police. He noted that the committee held its first meeting in Riyadh on Saturday evening and would continue to meet until it resolved the issue. The festival's spokesman Col. Khalid Al-Muqbil said in a press statement that a Haia member who reportedly stormed into the United Arab Emirates pavilion at the festival was an administrative employee with the commission and not authorized to conduct any field activities. He added that the Haia member barged into the pavilion to stop a folklore show that was being presented by the Emirati guests. His actions disrupted the whole show and angered visitors and those in charge of the pavilion. Al-Muqbil said: “The Haia member works in an office almost two kilometers away from the festival's location. He just left his office and went straight to the pavilion in order to make trouble and stop the show.” National Guard officers had to intervene to stop him. He said: “Later, the member apologized for his action.” Al-Muqbil denied reports spread by social media that claimed National Guard officers who stepped in confiscated the permits of some Haia members who attended the festival. “These reports don't have a shred of truth in them.” The spokesman noted that had the officers not stepped in to resolve the problem, things could have been worse. The Haia member refused to leave the pavilion peacefully and insisted on stopping the show.
The officers had to talk him into stepping out. “When the Haia member stormed into the pavilion to object to the show, there were some of his colleagues inside. “They didn't object to the show and were surprised that their colleague acted in this way.” The Haia member should have consulted his superiors first, said Al-Muqbil. In a separate incident on Friday, some Haia members had altercations with National Guard officers, which resulted in injuries on both sides. Some of the injured were rushed to hospital. The altercations started when the Haia members caught some single men inside a family section in the festival and detained them because they were not supposed to be there. The officers intervened to free them but the Haia members refused. At this point, some officers allegedly got into a fight with the Haia members.
