A statement issued jointly by Saudi Arabia’s media regulator and the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), based in the Saudi capital Riyadh, did not specifically identify material, referring only to content that “contradicts Islamic and social values”. “The platform has been contacted to remove this content, including content directed at children,” the statement said. The regional authorities “will monitor the platform’s compliance with the guidelines and in the event that the infringing content continues to be broadcast, the necessary legal measures will be taken.” The Gulf Cooperation Council includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. There was no immediate reaction from Netflix. While the GCC did not specifically identify what content was deemed offensive, a segment of Saudi state-run news channel Al-Ekhbariya condemned “films and series for children with scenes that promote homosexuality under dramatic guise via Netflix.” A lawyer said in an on-air interview that these were “very unfortunate and painful videos for our children, our grandchildren and the next generation.” A separate segment, also on Al-Ekhbariya, showed clips from the animated show Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous in which two female characters kiss, although the channel blurred their faces. The channel interviewed a self-described “family and education counselor” who said offensive material had “sneaked into our homes” and that the country was facing a “censorship crisis.” Gulf countries have repeatedly clashed with US film distributors over content related to sexual minorities, especially in films. The United Arab Emirates in June banned Disney’s animated film Lightyear, which contains a lesbian kiss. The UAE is considered one of the most liberal countries in the Gulf region, although films with adult content are regularly cut or edited. Saudi Arabia, which only opened cinemas in 2017, asked Disney in April to cut “LGBTQ references” in the Marvel superhero film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Disney did not comply and the film was not screened in the kingdom. In June, Saudi state media filmed officials confiscating toys and clothing from shops in the capital as part of a crackdown on homosexuality, which is a potential offense in Saudi Arabia. Items targeted in the raids included rainbow colored bows, skirts, hats and pencil cases, most of which were apparently made for young children. With Agence France-Presse