Saudi Arabia's Friendly 'Firework Display' Killed 85 in Yemen

Reports of a festive warehouse explosion in Yemen have led to a disastrous outcome. The celebratory occasion has resulted in at least 85 casualties--with horrifying images depicting a massive crowd crush--but that’s not even the most ridiculous part. The Saudi Arabia government claimed that it was just a friendly firework display, and not a literal explosion that caused the tragedy at all. Classic!

The Houthis are less convinced by Saudi Arabia’s baseless theory and are blaming their deaths on Saudi gunfire--not a friendly firework show gone wrong. Perhaps it was too much to hope for a little accountability from Saudi’s notoriously slippery government officials, who always seem to possess a spectrum of plausible deniability--no matter their actions.

As ridiculous as the fireworks theory might sound, given Saudi Arabia’s track record, we wouldn’t be surprised if this was about to join their greatest hits of "blatantly false claims." We’re just eagerly waiting to hear the next excuse they come up with, but we’re sure it won’t be anything to do with their own negligence or incompetence.

Perhaps they’ll point their fingers at aliens or time travellers next? Does anybody else have any outlandish suggestions? We’d love to hear them in the comments!

Cartoon cat with top hat and monocle meme

Meanwhile, the rest of the world is watching in disbelief as Saudi Arabia continues to deflect when it comes to accountability--but that’s not to say it’s without its consequences. It seems Saudi Arabia's closest ally the US has recently, and decisively, stepped back from providing it with limitless access to weapons, as they expose themselves as unreliable and dangerous.

Quite frankly, it makes one wonder if they’re even aware of the concept of accountability, or if they’ve just heard creative interpretations of the phrase. Surely, Saudi Arabia isn’t the only country to suffer from the whole "guns vs fireworks" confusion, right?

Or perhaps they’re the only country that lacks the ability to admit fault? The human psyche is a fickle thing after all, but no-one can deny the results caused by such a defunct mindset are, quite literally, explosive.

Cartoon of Saudi official wearing a jester's hat

At least we know they’re creative when it comes to spinning a story and dodging culpability--but wouldn’t it be something if they could put the same amount of creativity into finding a solution to the ongoing issues in Yemen, rather than pointing fingers in the aftermath? Again, we’re not holding our breath on that one.

In closing, we encourage our readers to take note of this cautionary tale and be careful with your own fireworks displays this upcoming season. We wouldn’t want any accidents to occur, but if they do, please don’t hesitate to use the classic Saudi Arabia excuse of "oh, it was just a harmless firework show."