Security forces in Bahrain have attacked a camp set up by anti-government demonstrators in the capital Manama. The opposition says at least two people have been killed and many people are hurt.
Hundreds of riot police using tear gas and batons moved into Pearl Square before dawn on Thursday where thousands of people had earlier taken part in a third day of rallies, the BBC reports.
About 2000 people stayed overnight in Pearl Square. A member of the secular Waad party says police acted without any warning on Thursday and there is a dense fog of tear gas where hundreds of women and children are camping.
Witnesses say the demonstrators were driven out and ambulances were seen rushing from the square. A journalist with the American Broadcasting Corporation, Miguel Marquez was in Pearl Square when police arrived and was beaten after reporting on events. The protesters in the small island kingdom are calling for democratic reform, the release of political prisoners and an end to what they call civil rights abuses.
Since independence from the United Kingdom in 1971, tensions between the ruling Sunni elite and the Shia majority have frequently caused civil unrest. Shia groups say they are marginalised, subject to unfair laws, and repressed. The protesters are adamant they will achieve the same success as demonstrators in Egypt, where president Hosni Murbarak was forced from power. Protests linked to recent events in Egypt and Tunisia are gaining momentum across the Middle East and North Africa.
About 2000 people stayed overnight in Pearl Square. A member of the secular Waad party says police acted without any warning on Thursday and there is a dense fog of tear gas where hundreds of women and children are camping.
Witnesses say the demonstrators were driven out and ambulances were seen rushing from the square. A journalist with the American Broadcasting Corporation, Miguel Marquez was in Pearl Square when police arrived and was beaten after reporting on events. The protesters in the small island kingdom are calling for democratic reform, the release of political prisoners and an end to what they call civil rights abuses.
Since independence from the United Kingdom in 1971, tensions between the ruling Sunni elite and the Shia majority have frequently caused civil unrest. Shia groups say they are marginalised, subject to unfair laws, and repressed. The protesters are adamant they will achieve the same success as demonstrators in Egypt, where president Hosni Murbarak was forced from power. Protests linked to recent events in Egypt and Tunisia are gaining momentum across the Middle East and North Africa.
Comments
Display the following comment