Palestinian sentenced to prison for doing Kiki challenge

A Palestinian man will be shimmying his way to the big house after being sentenced by a Ramallah court for dancing outside his vehicle while it was moving, as part of the Kiki challenge trend sweeping the world.

The man, whose name was not released by officials, was sentenced to two months in prison, the official Palestinian Authority news site Wafa reported.

The “Kiki Challenge” entails hopping out of a vehicle in motion and dancing beside it to the musical artist Drake’s new song “In My Feelings.”

People across the globe have uploaded videos of themselves performing the challenge and police in several locations have warned the public of the dangers involved.

On Monday, Israel’s Road Safety Authority chided Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon for a campaign spot in which he also did the challenge, walking alongside his car as it was driven by a chauffeur.

Louay Zreikat, a spokesman for the PA police, said several people in the West Bank had been arrested for doing the challenge.

One other man’s license was revoked and he was fined 180 dinars on the same charges, Wafa reported.

It was not immediately clear why the two received different sentences. Officials also did not say when the two actually recorded the challenge, which has only become a trend in recent weeks.

Jamil Sajdiyya, a PA prosecutor specializing in traffic-related matters, said that dancing outside a moving vehicle is a violation of PA law, which prohibits driving a car in a manner that puts people or material goods at risk.

He also said that the PA Attorney General’s Office is investigating five other cases of Palestinians dancing outside their cars including one that involves a minor.

Zreikat called on Palestinians not to participate in the Kiki challenge.

“Our message is for citizens not to drive their cars in this way, which is putting the public in danger,” he said by phone.