South Park roasts Americans taking Saudi money in Thanksgiving special

The makers of the popular satirical cartoon show South Park turned their sights on Saudi Arabia in their latest episode, attacking American media personalities, politicians and sporting events for taking money from the state.

Titled Turkey Trot, the episode starts with Mayor McDaniels convening a meeting with local businesses trying to secure sponsorship for its annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot race.

Struggling to find funds due to the economic crisis in the US, one character suggests there is someone "who'd be willing to give South Park a bunch of money", adding "they're giving money to everyone else".

The scene then cuts to a mock advert for the Turkey Trot, which features mock Arabic singing, shots of Saudi men dancing and a warning that "disparaging remarks towards the Saudi Royal family are strictly prohibited".

That appears to be a reference to the recent Riyadh Comedy Festival, which Saudi Arabia hosted in September and October, and featured comedians including Kevin Hart and Dave Chappelle amid much criticism.

According to contracts for the event leaked by comedian Atsuko Okatsuka, performers had to abide by a list of conditions, which included agreeing not to disparage Saudi Arabia's political leadership, religious values and legal system.

As the South Park episode develops, the show's anti-hero Eric Cartman becomes an advocate for Saudi Arabia, eager to cash in on the Turkey Trot's $5,000 prize.

When his teammate Tolkien Black bows out of the race because "it doesn't feel right", Cartman takes on the challenge of changing his mind.

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"They're trying to be progressive, okay," he argues. "You want them to go back to what they were doing?

"You want Saudi Arabia to go back to cutting people up and paying Kevin Hart," says Cartman. "Is that what you want?

"Them wanting to help pay for American things is good. Because, guess what, if Saudi Arabia is out paying for sporting events, they're not out hacking up reporters and inviting Pete Davidson to come do comedy."

Cartman continues: "They allow women to drive! It's like practically a lesbian utopia over there."

Tolkien remains unconvinced despite Cartman's arguments, which at one point include blaming him if Saudi Arabia resumes "'stuffing journalists into suitcases".

That reference is to the murder of Middle East Eye columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents in October 2017.

Saudi money

Since Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman became the kingdom's de facto ruler in 2017, Riyadh has diversified its investment interests to include sporting events and popular entertainment.

In entertainment, besides the Riyadh Comedy Festival, the country also hosts the Red Sea Film Festival, which opens next week and which regularly attracts Hollywood's A list.

In sports, the LIV Golf tour attracts some of the best golfers in the world and the Saudi Pro League features football stars including Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane.

Performers and athletes are attracted to such events by industry-leading payments despite criticism that they are helping to sanitise Saudi Arabia's reputation.

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Not all big names are taking the criticism lightly and have defended their right to perform in Saudi Arabia.

The most significant of these was the comedian Dave Chapelle, who argued that US critics lacked the moral standing to criticise his appearance in Saudi Arabia given the state of free expression in their home country.

“Right now in America, they say that if you talk about Charlie Kirk, that you’ll get cancelled,” Chappelle said during a performance in Saudi Arabia. “It's easier to talk here than it is in America.”

Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef argued that the criticisms of comedians appearing in Saudi Arabia made no sense given that the US was also accused of human rights violations and no one had objected to their appearances there.

In a follow-up video, Youssef reiterated his point.

"My point was that America is in no position to lecture other countries about morality or human rights violations," he said.

And in a reference to the Israeli war on Gaza, during which at least 69,000 Palestinains have been killed, he added: "It's not just because of the funding and enabling of a live streamed genocide for two years. Although that's a solid start."