Masked Youth Movement Emerges Inside Saudi Arabia to Challenge MBS’s Repression
“The Free Masked” group launches from Mecca and Riyadh, calling for dignity, justice, and an end to authoritarian rule.
Watan-In a rare and unprecedented moment in Saudi Arabia’s modern history, a youth-led group calling itself “The Free Masked” has announced its launch from within the kingdom, specifically from Mecca and Riyadh, as a protest movement against growing repression under Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The group introduced itself through video messages featuring masked faces and bold language, stressing that it is not a political party or armed faction, but rather a popular current seeking to restore dignity, stolen wealth, and to break the wall of fear that the regime has imposed on citizens for decades.
In their public statements, the group sharply criticized MBS’s policies, from crushing dissent and imprisoning scholars and clerics, to imposing heavy taxes and mismanaging national resources in extravagant projects like NEOM, all while ordinary Saudis—especially the poor and marginalized—continue to suffer.
This marks the first organized and public opposition voice from inside Saudi Arabia, reflecting a rising wave of public discontent over political, economic, and social abuses.
🛑من مكة والرياض ومن قلب المملكة لا من حدودها، انطلقت أولى رسائل “الملثمين”.. في مخاطرةٌ كبرى يخوضونها في مملكة ابن سلمان حيث لا يُسمح حتى بالتنفس إلا بإذن! ورغم أن “حركة الملثمين الأحرار” ما زالت في مهدها فإن انطلاقتها تشكّل منعطفًا خطيرًا في #السعودية، ولا شك أن ردّ ولي العهد… pic.twitter.com/TGrjUH7Ho8
— وطن. يغرد خارج السرب (@watanserb_news) May 22, 2025
The movement said it chose to appear “masked” because “speaking the truth has become a crime in the land of the Two Holy Mosques.” They accused the regime of allowing only those who praise the ruler and promote normalization with Israel and moral decay to show their faces publicly.
This development comes as international pressure mounts on Saudi Arabia over its abysmal human rights record, especially after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, ongoing political detentions, and arbitrary executions, amid widespread media complicity and global silence.
The launch of “The Free Masked” represents a direct challenge to the authority of the regime, and could be the spark for a larger uprising inside the kingdom—especially if the movement gains broader grassroots support in a climate of political exclusion and suppression of expression.
