Saudi women to get behind the wheel on October 26 to defy driving ban

Saudi women activists have called for a new day of defiance next month of the longstanding ban on women driving. (Getty)

Activists have launched another campaign against the ban on women driving. Their website is urging women to get behind the wheel on 26 October in defiance.

The “October 26 Driving” campaign says it has gathered 8,700 signatures for a petition it published on Saturday.

“If the state refuses to lift this [driving] ban on women, we call on it to offer citizens its justifications for the ban,” reads the online petition. “The state is not a father or a mother and the citizens are not children.”

While no laws explicitly ban women from driving, citizens must use locally issued licences. These are not issued to women.

Reuters