found on http://www.jadaliyya.com/
The following is part of a series of email reports from Jadaliyya affiliates in Manama. They will be updated regularly to reflect the latest developments in Bahrain.
Friday March 11, 2011
Thousands
of protesters marched towards the King's Court in Riffa, an area
where many members of the royal family live. The march was stopped at
a barricade constructed by the police, backed up by a small BDF
(Bahrain Defence Force) presence at a clock tower on the road leading
to the royal court.
Pro-government individuals, including
members of Parliament, and what appears to be baltajiyya (thugs) were
also stationed behind the barricade, many carrying makeshift weapons
including sticks and swords. Much consternation has been expressed
about the fact that on February 17 the Pearl roundabout was raided by
police, who killed 4 demonstrators, allegedly because protesters had
weapons - while on Friday government loyalists carried weapons in
broad daylight with the silent complicity of security
personnel.
Feb14 youth group states
(@twitter.com/onlinebahrain) that they will begin a campaign of civil
disobedience on Sunday if the Royal Court march is
attacked.
According to the Financial Times, clashes erupted
when government loyalists began throwing rocks at protesters, leading
to retaliatory rock throwing, after which, according to the Ministry
of Interior, a small group of demonstrators attempted to breach the
barricade.
Protesters were then dispersed with tear gas, and
consequent reports claimed that pro-government personnel followed
demonstrators into the nearby village of Aali, where they smashed
cars and attacked protesters; the reports of cars being smashed were
independently verified and reported in the Wall Street Journal. A
British journalist was also attacked, his camera stolen and car
windows smashed. The Ministry of Health issued a statement declaring
that seventeen patients were admitted to the Salmaniya Medical
Complex for treatment; six with minor injuries and eleven remained
under observation.
Saturday March 12, 2011
Thousands
of protesters, including a large presence of women, marched from the
village of Malkiya to the Safriya palace, where they were given dates
and water by palace staff - in a move reminiscent of the US embassy's
handing out of donuts and juice to demonstrators.
Appropriate,
then, that US Defense secretary Robert Gates visited Bahrain, was
greeted at the airport by Cabinet Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, and then met with the King and
Crown Prince. “Baby steps [are] not sufficient,” Gates said in a
statement to the press. “Real reform [is] necessary.”
Bahrain's
Crown Prince was also quoted as saying, “a significant portion of
the electoral base feels that their voice is unheard, and they want
the respect due to them,” referring to the pro-government crowds.
The repercussions of these talks are as yet unclear.
Sunday
March 13, 2011
As per Friday's statement, a campaign of
civil disobedience began with the setting up of roadblocks across the
highway in front of the Bahrain Financial Harbour (BFH). After some
tussles with demonstrators, the police fired tear gas on them,
dispersed the crowds, and dismantled the tents outside BFH. Police
reportedly then followed protesters to Pearl roundabout and launched
stun grenades and more tear gas, and possibly used live ammunition
from the flyover.
Street battles between riot police and
protesters ensued, with clear evidence of excessive force used by the
police, including point blank range shooting of tear gas at an
unarmed protester. Crowds surged to the Pearl roundabout,
outnumbering police, who were then forced to withdraw. Injuries were
sustained by pellet shots, and shots to the head and eye area, and
the injured were taken to Salmaniya Medical Complex. Some on the
scene reported the use of CS gas not used previously.
Meanwhile,
news from the University of Bahrain - the country's largest public
university- emerged. Students staging pro-government and
anti-government rallies were reported to have become involved in a
confrontation. Videos then surfaced, showing anti-government
demonstrators being attacked by government loyalists. Eyewitnesses
reported that a number of vehicles carrying “baltajiyya,” many
wearing balaclavas, entered campus, again with sticks and swords, and
attacked protesters, many of whom locked themselves in the university
mosque and classrooms for protection, with others forming a human
chain around female students.
Buses of demonstrators from the
Pearl roundabout then arrived on campus, and clashes ensued, followed
shortly by a deployment of riot police who eventually carried out a
raid to evacuate the campus. Many students were injured in the
clashes, which according to all accounts except for those on Bahrain
TV, were instigated by government loyalists. Again, the police took
no visible action to disarm or control government loyalists marching
through campus with sticks and swords. For a detailed eyewitness
account of the events at the University of Bahrain, see here. In an
official statement, university head Ibrahim Janahi suspended classes
until further notice, citing 'disruptive protests' and damage to
property as the reasons.
The day continued with sporadic
street battles and accounts of armed mobs and acts of vandalism (by
government loyalists according to most reports) all over the country
including Hamad Town, Bin Saloom Matam in Manama, the headquarters of
Wa'ad political society in Muharraq, and Al Wasat (opposition)
newspaper. Reports of civilians armed with guns and sticks in Riffa
and the establishment of an army checkpoint between Aali and Riffa
also surfaced.
The evening ended with massive crowds at Lulu,
and it was announced that a number of “baltajiyya” have been
caught and will be questioned. The road leading from the roundabout
to the financial harbour is said to be blocked and under the control
of demonstrators. An image was posted on the web, purporting to show
an official document listing names of security personnel required to
wear civilian clothing: cue the emergence of baltajiyya.
One Asian man died and another suffered
critical injuries on Sunday, after they were allegedly attacked by
youth carrying wooden planks and sticks in separate incidents in
Manama. The same news source cites six other stabbings of Bangladeshi
and Pakistani workers.
Although the perpetrators of violence
have not been identified, the incident confirms fears that spillover
from the government's policies of using mercenaries against locals
will result in indiscriminate attacks on Asian residents, and also
that the general outbreak of mob violence will inevitably target
bystanders, particularly workers who make up the most vulnerable
portion of Bahraini society.
Hundreds of other casualties have
been counted. One protester, 17-year-old Ali Demistani, has
reportedly died - apparently after being hit by a police jeep,
although full details are yet to emerge. Throughout the day, Bahrain
TV ran incendiary, selective and factually lacking anti-protesters
coverage, including an emotionally charged talk show featuring
call-ins from the public and officials. One of the hosts purportedly
called for GCC intervention in Bahrain on behalf of the state.
Amid
rising fears about the deployment of Saudi troops in Bahrain,
reporters were allegedly being asked to leave tomorrow (Monday), and
The Economist writer Jane Kinninmont was denied entry into
Bahrain.
The day ended with a statement by Crown Prince Shaikh
Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who repeated the same old statement that
he is “ready for ‘dialogue' on:
1) An elected parliament
with full vested powers and prerogatives;
2) A government
reflecting the will of people;
3) Fairly-demarcated electoral
constituencies;
4) Naturalization;
5) Combating financial and
administrative corruption;
6) State properties;
7) Addressing
sectarian polarization and animosities, in addition to other
principles and topics,”
but the Crown Prince added that "the
right of security and safety is above all considerations."