From pledging allegiance to calling it a 'coup', public reacts to rise of MBS

Dramatic upheaval rocked the House of Saud this morning as news broke that Mohamed Bin Salman, also known as MBS, had been appointed as Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia by his father, King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud.

He formally replaced Mohamed bin Nayef, who, according to the royal decree released by the official Saudi press agency, had been fired from his position as interior minister, despite being lauded by the West for his efforts in combating al-Qaeda. Mohamed Bin Salman is set to retain his position as minister of defense, whilst also being appointed deputy prime minister of the Kingdom.

As news broke this morning, social media users expressed a mix of reactions to the news from within the Kingdom and beyond.

Using the hashtag  #ابايع_محمد_بن_سلمان_ولياً_للعهد (I pledge allegiance to Crown Prince Mohamed Bin Salman), many Twitter users expressed their support of the royal proclamation:

Translation: “I pledge allegiance to my Lord, his royal highness the Crown Prince Muhammed Bin Salman, to listen and to obey, through difficulty and ease.

Translation: We praise the Crown Prince His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed Bin Salman al-Saud and we ask Allah to aid him and to grant him success so that he may serve his religion, his nation and his people.

The 'Bin Salman coup'

But not all social media users in the region were positive about the news.

Some Twitter users from within the Kingdom and beyond tweeted angry responses to the appointment of the new crown prince, calling Mohamed bin Salman a “terrorist” and a “killer” under the hashtag #انقلاب_محمد_سلمان (The_Mohamed_Salman_Coup). Tweets using this hashtag appeared earlier in the day, but by the time of publication, they had been deleted.

But other tweets expressing outrage at the royal decree continued to emerge throughout the day. 

Translation: May God curse Muhammed Bin Salman, the people are just sheep 

Translation: Hahaha, pledging allegiance via twitter - curse this farce. The day of judgment has neared.

Translation: “Salman is ill and unable to govern, and that is why all the reckless actions were taken by MBS, who will surely destroy Al [Saud]”

The role of United Arab Emirates

Still observers quickly jumped to offer their thoughts on the role of the UAE in these developments.

One Twitter user from Qatar, a country that been placed under siege led by Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE, saying that the UAE is the actual power behind this decision. 

Translation: [Mohamed] Bin Zayed has become the real ruler for the two largest Arab countries, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Congratulations to the people of these two countries for their guardians Bin Zayed, Khalfan and Dahlan.

The political researcher and writer Ibrahim Hamami also added the following:

Translation: Mohamed Bin Zayed's coup attempts in Ankara and Doha have failed but he's succeeded in Riyadh ... Congratulations