The incident occurred at a festival in Taif.

A woman in Saudi Arabia has been arrested after she ran on stage during a concert to hug a male singer.

Iraqi singer Majid al-Mohandis was performing at the Souq Okaz festival in Taif when the fan raced up the front of the stage and embraced him.

Videos shared to social media show the woman clinging on to Mohandis, as security guards attempt to pull her off him. According to Arab News, the Arabic hashtag for “Girl hugs Majid al-Mohandis” was soon trending in Saudi Arabia.

The woman’s actions fell foul of Saudi Arabia’s new anti-harassment law, which was introduced in May.

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If convicted, the woman could face up to two years in jail and a fine of 100,000 Saudi riyals, according to local newspaper Okaz.

In recent months, the conservative kingdom has started allowing more concerts and festivals as part of a series of reforms spearheaded by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that aim to make Saudi a more modern, tourist-friendly place.

While things are changing, many restrictions still remain in place. Women are not allowed to interact with men who are not related to them in public, for example.

However, some Twitter users have jumped to the woman’s defence. @KhaledSadig wrote: “Fan girling is a condition not a crime! It happens in every concert around the world, just tighten the security and the problem [will] be solved.”

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