Technology & Innovation — December 1, 2009

Saudi Flood Fury

Saudi Arabians have been using the internet to vent fury at the local government’s ineffective response to last week’s flooding in Jeddah that left more than 100 dead.

bigthinkeditor

Saudi Arabians have been using the internet to vent fury at the local government’s ineffective response to last week’s flooding in Jeddah that left more than 100 dead. Facebook and other socials networking sites have met with a flurry or outraged comments and campaigns highlighting corruption and calling for officials to resign – many of the sentiments of which are being repeated in opinion pieces in the state-run local press. “’This anger has never happened before,’ says Waleed Abu Al Khair, a human rights lawyer in Jeddah and one of the creators of a Facebook page that has drawn more than 20,000 comments in four days…’Good job, mayor!’ said a sarcastic comment on the Facebook page titled ‘Popular Campaign to Save the City of Jeddah.’ ‘All these billions, all these contracts….You have betrayed our trust!’”

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