Government gave 'em a present, too!
"Bahrain protesters boost pressure with huge rally" March 10, 2012|By Reem Khalifa
MANAMA, Bahrain - Tens of thousands of antigovernment protesters flooded a major highway in Bahrain on Friday in one of the largest opposition rallies in months against the Gulf nation’s rulers. Security forces fired tear gas at smaller groups attempting to reach a heavily guarded square that was the hub of the uprising.
The march was a show of resolve by a Shi’ite-led rebellion against Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy more than a year after the Arab Spring-inspired protests began. The main procession was mostly peaceful, but breakaway groups were driven back by tear gas as they headed toward Pearl Square, which was the center of the uprising for weeks last year until stormed by security forces.
The demonstration was also a reply to Bahrain’s Sunni leadership, which has portrayed the uprising as losing steam ahead of next month’s lucrative Formula One Grand Prix car race, which was canceled last year because of violence on the tiny island.
Related: Blood Runs in Bahrain Streets
Bahrain Beat
Bahrain: The Open-Ended Occupation
The march stretched for miles....
The unrest in Bahrain has put the United States in a difficult position. Washington has called for dialogue to try to ease the tensions, but it fears that pressing too hard on Bahrain’s leaders might jeopardize its important military relationships. The Fifth Fleet is one of the Pentagon’s main Gulf forces on Iran’s doorstep.
Bahrain and its Gulf Arab allies have accused Shi’ite Iran of maintaining links to the Bahrain opposition groups, but no direct evidence has been produced.
In Baghdad, about 2,000 Iraqi Shi’ites called for Bahrain’s king to be banned from the Arab League summit set for the Iraqi capital later this month.
See: Iraq Secured Arab Summit
Iraq’s support for Bahrain’s Shi’ites has angered Sunni Gulf states. That was one of the reasons the League canceled plans to hold its summit in Baghdad last year.
The protesters, followers of hardline cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, also complained that President Bashar Assad of Syria was not invited. His Alawite religion is an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam....
--more--"
"A death reported in Bahrain protests
MANAMA
- After a night of clashes between antigovernment demonstrators and the
police, a protester was found dead Saturday near the capital as Bahrain
struggled to restore calm before an international auto race Sunday.
Opposition groups blamed the police for the death. Bahrain has beaten
back persistent protests from the country’s Shi’ite majority for more
than a year. The protesters hope to use the international attention
focused on the nation during a Formula One Grand Prix race to advance
their cause (New York Times)."
Related: Clases overshadow Bahrain F1 race
It seems the AmeriKan cares more about the damn car race, doesn't it?
Also overshadowed:
"Jordanian protesters demanding political reforms have been taking to the
streets sporadically for the past 15 months, though in smaller numbers
than elsewhere in the Arab world, where popular uprisings toppled
longtime rulers Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Yemen."
Also see: Twins work for change in Kuwait
What you couldn't see unless you bought a printed Globe:
"MASSIVE TIRE FIRE -- As crowds of Kuwaitis gathered, firefighters worked through the night Tuesday to extinguish a fire at a dump for used tires near Kuwait City. Some members of Parliament called the blaze an environmental catastrophe (Boston Globe April 18 2012)."
