Editing Politics of Saudi Arabia (section)

===Opposition to the royal family===
The rule of the Al Saud faces political opposition from four sources: [[Sunni]] [[Islamist]] activism, liberal critics, including an underground green party, the [[Shia Islam in Saudi Arabia|Shia minority]] – particularly in the [[Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia|Eastern Province]]; and long-standing tribal and regional particularistic opponents (for example in the [[Hejaz]]).<ref>{{cite journal |author=Barenek, Ondrej |year=2009 |title=Divided We Survive: A Landscape of Fragmentation in Saudi Arabia |journal=Middle East Brief |issue=33 |publisher=Brandeis University Crown Center for Middle East Studies |url=http://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/meb/MEB33.pdf |access-date=29 June 2011 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194313/http://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/meb/MEB33.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Of these, the Islamic activists have been the most prominent threat to the regime and have in recent years perpetrated a number of violent or [[List of militant incidents in Saudi Arabia|terrorist acts in the country]].<ref name="Cordesman 2009">{{cite book |title=Saudi Arabia: national security in a troubled region |last=Cordesman |first=Anthony H. |year=2009 |isbn=978-0313380761 |pages=50–52|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic }}</ref>  However, open protest against the government, even if peaceful, is not tolerated. On 29 January 2011, hundreds of protesters gathered in the city of [[Jeddah]] in a rare display of protest against the city's poor infrastructure after deadly floods swept through the city, killing eleven people.<ref name="Montreal">{{cite news|url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/Flood+sparks+rare+action/4189873/story.html|title=Flood sparks rare action|date=29 January 2011|newspaper=[[The Gazette (Montreal)|Montreal Gazette]]|access-date=29 January 2011|archive-date=1 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110201053307/http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Flood%2Bsparks%2Brare%2Baction/4189873/story.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Police stopped the demonstration after about 15 minutes and arrested 30 to 50 people.<ref name="Reuters_Dozens_detained">{{cite news | title=Dozens detained in Saudi over flood protests | date=29 January 2011 | publisher=[[The Peninsula (newspaper)|The Peninsula]] (Qatar)/[[Thomson-Reuters]] | url=http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/middle-east/140720-dozens-detained-in-saudi-over-flood-protests.html |access-date =31 January 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110302150701/http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/middle-east/140720-dozens-detained-in-saudi-over-flood-protests.html |archive-date=2 March 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In March 2018, the crown prince [[Mohammed bin Salman]] faced severe criticism from British opposition figures during his visit to the [[United Kingdom]]. Salman was accused of funding extremism in the UK, committing human rights abuses domestically, and breaching international humanitarian law in [[Yemen]] with the [[Yemeni Civil War (2015–present)|on-going war]], where millions are on the verge of famine.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/07/saudi-crown-prince-uk-visit|title=Saudi crown prince's UK visit prompts heavy criticism by opposition|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=7 March 2018|archive-date=7 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180307175306/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/07/saudi-crown-prince-uk-visit|url-status=live}}</ref> Later that year, he was criticized by many other countries after Saudi American journalist [[Jamal Khashoggi]] was murdered.

On 24 September 2020, a group of dissidents from Saudi Arabia announced the launch of a political party in opposition to [[King Salman]]'s rule. The [[National Assembly Party]] members were exiled in the US, Britain, and elsewhere at the time of the party's launch from London. The opposition party aims to bring democracy as a form of government in the absolute monarchy and oust the ''de facto'' leader of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. The NAP is the first formalized political opposition in King Salman's rule. The country's Basic Law bans the formation of political parties and sanctions sedition and condemnation of the king with long jail terms. The founding members of the National Assembly Party are Activist [[Yahya Assiri]], comedian [[Omar Abdulaziz (vlogger)|Omar Abdulaziz]], Professor [[Madawi al-Rasheed]], and scholar Abdullah al-Aoudh.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/saudis-exiled-defy-mbs-rule-new-political-party-demand-democracy-2020-9?r=US&IR=T|title=Exiled Saudi Arabian dissidents have launched a political party they hope will dethrone MBS and open the door to democracy|access-date=25 September 2020|website=Business Insider|archive-date=10 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110134735/https://www.businessinsider.com/saudis-exiled-defy-mbs-rule-new-political-party-demand-democracy-2020-9?r=US&IR=T|url-status=live}}</ref>