Published
Thu, Dec 15, 2022, 16:15
- Multiple reports of groping and leering have emerged from this month's festival.
Content warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual harassment.
Several accounts of alleged sexual harassment have emerged from Saudi Arabia's MDLBEAST Soundstorm festival, which took place earlier this month.
Three women have spoken to Resident Advisor saying they were groped and harassed by groups of men at the three-day event on the outskirts of Riyadh. Two of the women also shared their accounts via social media.
Writing on Instagram, Cairo-based attendee Elisa Schouten said she and her friend, Alexandra Stock, were "groped all over our bodies by multiple mobs of men."
According to Schouten, she and Stock flew to Riyadh from Cairo on Thursday, December 1st, arriving at the festival at 9 PM. "We were so excited to see Post Malone–but as soon as we got out the car, we were faced with stares and verbal harassments," she told RA.
She said many of the men were wearing face coverings, masks and balaclavas. "We arrived at the main stage, looked for a spot to enjoy the show and as we moved forward, I felt a hand on my behind. I quickly turned around but was surrounded by men so didn't know who it was."
She added: "I was really starting to panic and before I could move, I felt the hand grope me again."
The two women left the festival straight after Post Malone's performance and, despite having three-day tickets, didn't return. "We feared for our safety, it just wasn't worth risking," Schouten said.
Stock, who also lives in Cairo, corroborated Schouten's account with RA, saying men "repeatedly grabbed" them in the crowd. She said they tried to report the incidents to a security guard but he "kinda shrugged and said 'yeah bring us the guys who did this and we'll see what we can do.'"
She added: "We had to get the fuck out of there before it got even worse. We pushed our way through the mob of guys to reach the back of the area again and just kind of lost it there. A few tears of stress, fear."
Schouten and Stock reported the incidents to the festival's Respect & Reset team, which aims to provide support to victims of sexual harassment. The project piloted at MDLBEAST in 2021 before being fully rolled out this year.
An email seen by RA from Respect & Reset to Stock said that experienced professionals were on-site to support any victims and "to deal with perpetrators of harassment" by evicting them or handing them to the police. They said it's "disappointing" to hear what the women endured and that they welcomed feedback on how to improve safety.
The email also said Stock's refund request for their tickets had been sent to MDLBEAST, and an internal inquiry was underway after the two women said social media posts about sexual harassment were being deleted on MDLBEAST's Instagram page.
Photographer Alice Wonderland also spoke out on Instagram about her experience. Speaking to RA, she said a man put his hand between her legs from behind. In response, a fight allegedly broke out between her and the man. She said the security staff failed to respond.
On another occasion, Wonderland said a male friend tried to protect the group from another man, only to be attacked. "Being a woman is problematic for everyone at this festival: you're harassed by guys all the time; but if you're with a man, they can also be attacked trying to protect you," she said.
Finnish nurse Erika K, who has lived in Saudi Arabia, described MDLBEAST as "one of the most traumatic experiences I've ever had." Writing on Instagram, she said "me and my friends were sexually harassed and molested by an outrageous number of men."
She added: "It felt like my struggle was a turn on for them. No matter where I turned or to whom I turned my back to, someone was always groping me. Eventually I had a massive panic attack and my friends helped me to the security who unfortunately did absolutely nothing besides giving me water."
This isn't the first time MDLBEAST has come under fire for the alleged behaviour of its male attendees. In 2019, the festival was slammed with multiple reports of sexual harassment. The same thing happened last year, when several women shared similar, anonymous accounts with the BBC.
This year in response, MDLBEAST promoted safeguards for women with its Respect & Reset campaign. Saudi authorities also have the power to hand out fines and up to five years in prison to anyone who violates sexual harassment laws.
MDLBEAST, which is partly funded by Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, is part of a global drive to welcome foreign visitors to the Gulf State in a bid to promote its socio-economic changes. But do these allegations of sexual harassment suggest a challenging transition from a conservative Islamic society to a more liberal one?
Speaking to RA, Duaa Dhainy, a case worker with the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, said "the sudden change imposed by official authorities in cultural, living and other lifestyles will definitely have effects."
But, she added, sexual harassment is also prevalent because of the "absence of an appropriate legal deterrent." The "implementation" of anti-harassment regulations also depends on the "mood of the judiciary" and that "officials don't act until after the issue is raised in the media and publicly, and this is what's difficult to achieve for most cases."
RA put the allegations above to MDLBEAST, which replied saying the festival "takes this issue seriously, and is dedicated to creating a safe environment where guests' behaviour is respectful and allows everyone to enjoy the festival experience."
The statement said sexual harassment is an "industry-wide problem" and organisers are working with all parties to deal with the issue. Complaints are being addressed in coordination with the Respect & Reset team and relevant authorities, who are issuing "warnings, evictions and blacklisting from future events."
The statement continued: "Safety is a responsibility on everyone and we ask anyone who has witnessed something or has encountered an incident to report immediately through the official channels."
According to MDLBEAST, more than 600,000 people attended this year's festival, which included sets from dance music heavyweights such as Carl Cox, Ricardo Villalobos and Peggy Gou.
Last year, some of the artists who agreed to play MDLBEAST were widely criticised for helping "culture-wash" Saudi Arabia's authoritarian regime and problematic human rights record. Read more on the topic in this opinion piece.
Women's safety in nightlife continues to be a pressing issue around the world. This year alone, there have been allegations of needle spiking in Berlin and sexual assault at Uganda's Nyege Nyege Festival, among other incidents.
For more information about reporting and recovering from sexual abuse, assault or misconduct, head to the NHS website. You can also ring AFEM's sexual harassment helpline.
Photo: Jakub Kosmatka