RIYADH – Saudi religious police has arrested, on Thursday, Nov. 21, two men who were offering “free hugs” to strangers in the country’s capital, Riyadh. 

The arrests were made by Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice in the main Tahlia Street, where the young men were standing with banners saying, “Free Hug,” written in English. 

The idea of the Free Hugs Campaign, a movement in which members offers free hugs to passers-by in public places “to brighten up their lives,” has provoked a mixed reaction in Saudi society.